The American Cancer Society estimates that 1.5 million Americans will get cancer in 2007. Of those people, more than 37 percent are expected to die.

In Illinois, more than 60,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year.

Eastern students are doing their part to raise money to prevent cancer by participating in Relay for Life from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday.

The money raised will go to help individuals in Coles County with patient programs and services, said Lisa Amacher, income development representative for the American Cancer Society.

Look Good, Feel Better is a patient program for women who have cancer and are undergoing treatment. Local business owners and licensed cosmetologists Joyce Luedkey and Tracy Rankin of American Beauty, 221 6th St., run the program.

The women participate in the programs because they have both had cancer in their families and say they know what it feels like.

The licensed cosmetologists have an event every other month for patients undergoing cancer treatment who come to get tips on skin care and care packages.

The National Cosmetology Association and the Fragrance and Toiletry Association donate the packages. The kits contain everything to do with skin care including face wash, moisturizers, makeup and sunscreen, Luedkey said.

“The event always warms my heart,” she said. “They come in feeling ugly and very down, and they go out pretty and happy.”

She also said the event is like therapy for the women. They discuss the changes their bodies are going through and losing their hair. The women open up in a way they would not be able to otherwise.

The women are given tips on how to keep their skin moist and fresh because it is very dry during the treatment process, said Lisa Lyell, the senior health incentives representative for the ACS.

The kits are valued at more than $300 each, Amacher said.

During the class, the women also learn basics like how to pencil on eyebrows and how to wear wigs, scarves and hats, Luedkey said.

American Beauty has also hosted a wig bank for the area for the last two years. They have about 50 wigs, which are free to women who need them. The ACS receives the wigs from wig manufacturers and disperses them to the banks.

All the wigs at American Beauty are made of synthetic hair and they work to find the styles women want. If they do not have what a women needs, they can send her one from a larger wig bank, Lyell said.

The wigs are free of charge to women from the ACS because most insurance companies will not pay for prosthetics such as a wig, Luedkey said.

Other programs provide valuable services as well, such as the Road to Recovery, which provides volunteer rides to appointments for patients who cannot drive or do not have family around to take them.

Reach to Recovery is a program where women with breast cancer can get together for group and peer support. The American Cancer Society says 88 percent of women survive breast cancer.

For more information, answers or to help the American Cancer Society call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit its Web site cancer.org.