Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy
Photo: WireImage
Geralyn Lucus is a 47-year-old journalist, best-selling author, TV producer, and married mother of two. In 1995 she was a young, single, Columbia University grad kickstarting her career at 20/20 when she discovered a lump in her breast. She wondered if she’d even be around to celebrate her 30th birthday.
“My doctor husband and I were just dating at the time, and he told me about a mastectomy he did on a 28-year-old woman,” says Lucas. “I didn’t know you could be that young!” She did a self-exam and sure enough she felt something. “I was only 27 and I had no known history of breast cancer in my family. My husband said it’s probably nothing, and my doctor said it’s probably nothing. Then my gynecologist did a clinical breast exam and said, ‘I never play games with lumps—I want to make sure.’” After a sonogram and a biopsy, Lucas was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer.
“It was really surreal and a big shocker to me that this could happen in my 20s with no family history,” says Lucas. She was surprised to learn that only 10% of breast cancer cases are the result of genetics. “There weren’t the awareness campaigns there are today or celebrities sharing their experiences. I felt alone. I was especially scared of telling my office—I thought I was going to get fired.” As luck would have it, Lucas discovered her boss was a breast cancer survivor and a beacon of strength.
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Through the support of her family, friends, and a cancer therapist, Lucas made the decision to get a mastectomy, undergoing six months of chemo. “I lost my hair and I looked green,” says Lucas. “People don’t understand how hard it is to go through the external changes. People say it sounds shallow. You’re not shallow! It’s terrible to lose your hair—it feels so visible. Everyone can see it happening.” In an attempt to change her fate, or at least her outlook, Lucas swiped on some bright red lipstick on the way into the operating room. “I’d never worn red lipstick before, so to me that was a metaphor for living boldly,” says Lucas. “I was the gloss girl, but in the O.R. I decided I wanted to become the women I never thought I could be.”
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Lucas was told that even if all went well her cancer could come back, and that she might not be able to have children. But she was determined to fight cancer head on, dressing up for chemo treatments. “It was transformative to be able to feel so present and look OK,” says Lucas. “So much was taken away from me that I needed to grab it back and reinvent myself.” While some women might opt for cozy sweats or minimal makeup while undergoing cancer treatment, Lucas went in the total opposite direction, flaunting her femininity. “Living with risk made me risqué! My skirts were shorter, my heels were higher, and my lips were redder. I wasn’t aware of the organization at the time, but now I’m a huge supporter of Look Good Feel Better, which was founded on the lipstick theory—that when a patient starts putting on her lipstick she’s ready to go home. My oncologist thinks lipstick is the 5th vital sign. Now, for me, every day is a bright red lipstick day.” Lucas also made a bold statement with her breast reconstruction. “I decided not to get a nipple, so I got a tattoo in the shape of a heart,” says Lucas. “I wanted a new way of looking at myself—where the scar ends my life starts again.”
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Her 2004 book, “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy,” resonated so well with women it went on to become a best-seller and Lifetime original movie. And now, her brand new book, “Then Came Life,” celebrates her experiences as a survivor. “It’s about living with courage and spirit after cancer,” says Lucas. “When you go through surgery, and chemo, and you’re lucky enough to get your life back, life is never the same. You live in appreciation and remember the gratitude.”
Lucas has raised two healthy kids—“my daughter is taller than me and my son is a chess champ”—and leads a very full life. She’s created a production company to honor her cousin called Hallie’s Comet, written a feature film called “Unhappy Married” about couples therapy (her parents and in-laws were therapists), and works with Look Good Feel Better to empower women. “This cancer takes away so much of our looks,” says Lucas. “You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to lose your eyebrows, or when going through reconstruction worrying about looking even and padding. It’s incredible to have tips from people who have been there. You feel safer just knowing great people have walked in your shoes.”
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These days Lucas describes her outlook as cautiously optimistic. “You never feel cured. I always worry every time I have an ache or a sore throat,” she says. “I want to continue as long as I can to spread the word about early detection. I don’t understand the debate about mammograms and screenings. I believe early detection can save lives. If I hadn’t done that self-exam I don’t know if I would have lived. So I feel lucky.”
