NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell
Aileen is one of our original East Coast Lipstick Angels.
What inspired you to become a Lipstick Angel?
I have family members and very good friends who have had cancer. I also love to make others happy. I'm a cosmetologist and I wanted to use my expertise to make a difference that I could never make behind a chair.
Please share your most memorable moment or patient interaction as a Lipstick Angel.
There was a very special male patient in the hospital receiving treatment through my whole training process. He was always so upbeat and that smile! I could never forget that smile! He loved to get every service he could. He was especially happy that we offered full beauty services to his mom, who was amazing as well. Throughout his whole treatment, he always said we made his time there so much easier. This was the best introduction to Lipstick Angels anyone could ever have. The day he told me he no longer needed treatment was AMAZING!!!! I can't even describe the feeling. That experience was, in every little bit, why I decided to be a Lipstick Angel!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Aileen! Do you have a favorite/specific bridal beauty must-have for the BIG day?
There is nothing a great lipstick and highlighter can't fix!
What is it like to be a working mother of three and a Lipstick Angel?
Being a mother of three can be very demanding. Being a Lipstick Angel is very rewarding. Having compassion is a major key in mothering and I carry that over to the patients I see. Having fun, smiling, caring, giving love, understanding, and empathy are also parts of what a mother AND a Lipstick Angel has to be. So for me, it's a piece of cake!
What one word best describes how you feel about what you do for patients while they are receiving their chemotherapy/treatment in the hospital?
Oh man, there are so many! If I have to pick one, it would be LOVE. I may not know these patients and some I see every time I go to the hospital. But every single one of them keep a piece of my heart.
