CARA Cosmetics

Some people walk into your life quietly, and you don't fully realize until later that everything shifted the moment they arrived. Vanessa Echols was one of those people for me.
She came into Studio CARA to learn something most people would consider small — how to apply lashes, how to design her eyebrows. But what Vanessa was really doing was something far more profound. She was reclaiming herself. She was deciding, in the middle of one of the hardest seasons of her life, that she was still worth showing up for.
Because here's what you need to know about the woman who sat in my chair: she was still anchoring the news. She was still putting on her blazer, sitting under those studio lights, and delivering the stories of our city — all while quietly, privately, bravely going through breast cancer treatment.
I remember watching her that first day — the way she carried herself into the studio. There was a dignity about Vanessa that wasn't performed or polished for TV. It was just who she was. She was warm and direct and funny, and she had this energy that made you feel like you were the most important person in the room.
We talked while I worked. About beauty. About identity. About what it means to look in the mirror when your body is going through something you didn't choose. Treatment has a way of quietly stealing the things that feel like you — your lashes, your brows, the face you've known your whole life. And for a woman whose face was on television everyday, that was its own particular kind of weight to carry.
But Vanessa didn't crumble under that weight. She made an appointment. She showed up. She learned. And she walked out of Studio CARA looking and feeling like herself — because she refused to let cancer make that decision for her.
"She was going through treatment and still showing up on camera for an entire city. She taught me that strength isn't the absence of struggle — it's deciding you still matter, even in the middle of it."

— Leslie Christin, Studio CARA
This is Why We Give.
If Vanessa's story moves you — if it reminds you of someone you love, or of yourself — please consider donating. https://www.facebook.com/donate/990427303641461/

My career has given me the extraordinary privilege of meeting women at so many different moments in their lives. At Studio CARA, they walk through the doors for all kinds of reasons—some want to refresh a makeup routine, others to learn how to conceal a scar, or a joyous wedding day makeup.
That’s how I met Tammy.
She came in for what seemed like a simple makeup lesson. But as we began, I noticed something unique about her and, I soon understood why part of her jaw was missing.
Tammy is one of the most positive and radiant women I have ever met. There is a light in her that comes from a place far deeper than beauty. It comes from a profound love for others.
This is her story, in her own words—one that deserves to be felt:

It started with something small—so small I never would have noticed it myself. My hairdresser felt something unusual, a lump on the back of my neck.
What followed was a journey I hadn’t planned for—appointments, second opinions, surgery, then radiation.
Through it all, I found deep gratitude for my surgeon. The initial tests were inconclusive, but his care never wavered. When the surgery was over, I could still move all of my facial muscles, especially the ability to smile. Part of my upper neck was gone, and he gently offered reconstructive surgery.
I said no thank you.
It wasn’t out of fear, but out of acceptance. Even now, that part of me is still missing—you wouldn’t notice if we met.
A life lesson for me: focus more on caring about others than worrying about what they think of me.
More than twenty years have passed, and I’ve remained cancer-free. When I look back, I see the people who changed the course of my life. A hairdresser who noticed. A surgeon who cared. Two individuals who became part of my story in ways they may never fully understand.
And every day, I carry gratitude for both.

Meeting Tammy was a reminder of why I do what I do.
Beauty is not perfection.
It is not symmetry.
It is not about what is missing.
It is about the light that shines through, no matter what life has taken or given.
Tammy, thank you for trusting me with your story—and for reminding all of us what true beauty looks like.

Jan – A Story of Strength, Grace, and Unforgettable Light

Some people walk into your life in the most unexpected ways…
and leave an imprint you never forget.

I first met Jan when she came into the studio to purchase an eyebrow pencil. What began as a simple visit turned into a conversation that stayed with me long after she left.

There was something about her—warm, open, and full of life.

After talking for a while, I asked her if she would be open to doing a step-by-step makeup video for CARA Cosmetics. She smiled, and in that moment, she began to share her story.

In 2008, Jan discovered a lump in her left breast.
What she learned next was unimaginable—there were two masses, and they were two different types of cancer.

She faced it head-on, undergoing a double mastectomy followed by aggressive chemotherapy. Later, she moved forward with breast reconstruction, continuing her journey with courage and determination.

But her story didn’t end there.

In September of 2012, Jan lost her husband to brain cancer—a heartbreak that no one should have to endure.

And then, in 2013, her cancer returned. Quickly.

What I remember most is not just what she went through—
but how she showed up through it all.

Jan is one of the most beautiful and encouraging people I have ever met.
She made me laugh. She made me cry.
And she reminded me what it means to truly be human.

During our video together, I wasn’t just applying her makeup and making her feel beautiful—
she was sharing her heart, her strength, her vulnerability.

She wanted the world to see that beauty still exists in the midst of hardship.
That even in the most difficult moments, there is light.

Jan, your spirit, your courage, and your willingness to share your story will never be forgotten.

This is what strength looks like.
This is what humanity looks like.
This is Jan.
If her story touches you, I invite you to support the mission of the American Cancer Society—because every story shared brings us closer to hope.