By Sandi Butler Hughes; Photography by Brynn VanBlaricom, Brynn VB Photography

Wa makeover is certainly not a cure-all when cancer comes calling, it is a step in the healing process and feeling better. Tomi Beckemeyer, owner of SkinBody Memphis, wanted to offer a breast cancer survivor a makeover at her luxurious medical spa as a way to give back and to honor a woman in our community.

“I’m so fortunate at 72 years old that I have not had cancer, but we all know someone who has been touched by breast cancer,” Tomi shared. “It hits one-in-four women, and I wanted to give back.”

SkinBody launched the social media contest in October, 2021, and asked for nominations of deserving breast cancer survivors. “I didn’t realize how much reading all those stories was going to touch me. It made me so grateful,” Tomi shared. “It was so hard, but I selected Tammy Pritchett as our makeover winner.”

Tammy’s story is certainly one of resilience. On her 43rd birthday in April, 2020, Tammy found out she had breast cancer. She was nominated for a makeover by her sister, Leslie Lord, and her nomination read in part: “She was scared for her future yet went through the mastectomy and other surgeries with optimism and the support of her amazing husband, Adam. She told me of the fears and how you have to reconcile with death. She is a strong woman, like our grandmother. Little did she know that all the conversations and fear about the end of life would be an awful preparation for the difficulty to come.”

Since Tammy’s diagnosis was at the height of the pandemic, her family was extremely cautious due to her compromised immune system. After her surgeries and treatments, in March of 2021 as the pandemic was beginning to wane, Tammy and Adam decided to take a relaxing trip away from their four kids. It was their first trip alone in years. It was on this trip that Adam contracted the virus, and despite being young and strong the unthinkable happened. Adam died in April, 2021.

“Both of those losses, I never imagined in a million years would happen to me,” Tammy shared. “Going through cancer diagnosis and treatment at the beginning of Covid and the lockdowns was incredibly isolating. Then a year later, losing my husband, left me feeling even more hopelessly alone.”

Once Tomi and the SkinBody team selected Tammy, they set to work restoring damage caused by cancer and chemotherapy. “Chemo is so hard on the skin and body,” Tomi said. Her makeover started like any new client at SB with a VISIA Skin Analysis consultation to show skin damage and create a plan specifically for her needs. The plan designed for Tammy was multiple treatments over several months. Her plan included:

Photofacials: addresses broken blood vessels and uv damage, including hyperpigmentation; no downtime

Lutronic Ultra: improves texture, reduces pore size, and also brightens hyperpigmentation; no downtime

Scarlet RF: lifts the face, tightens the skin including jawline and neck while reducing pore size and improving overall texture; no downtime

NeoGen: most advanced resurfacing on the market; tightens and remodels the skin beneath creating a tight, glowing and flawless look
Customized SkinMedica Skincare Regimen

Microblading: enhancement of the eyebrow architecture by using small, superficial strokes and depositing pigment to the brows, it improves the look of thinning brows; no downtime

Emsculpt Neo: most advanced treatment series for not only muscle stimulation, but fat reduction and skin tightening; may be used on the arms, upper thighs, inner thighs, stomach, back of the thighs, etc; no downtime

Botox and Customized filler: Botox relaxes the muscles that create lines in the face, including the forehead and crow's feet; filler is used to enhance and restore the shape of the lips and face in a natural, balanced way; no downtime

“Being given this makeover was a godsend! It gave me something to look forward to; it forced me to reprioritize caring for myself; and it was incredibly fun,” Tammy said. “They wanted to create a whole new chapter for me. I suddenly had a whole bunch of people who wanted to walk this part of my journey with me. And as an added bonus, my skin has never looked better. I can’t thank Tomi and her amazing team enough!”

In addition to the makeover treatments, Tomi completed the grand prize package with everything Tammy needed for a fun night on the town. Tomi reached out to other local and woman-owned small businesses, and they generously contributed to the prize package. An overnight stay was donated by Pettigrew Adventures, who offer vacation rentals in the Memphis area. The particular property Pettigrew donated is named “Moxie House.” The pink house located in the heart of the city is dedicated to a young woman who lost her battle with breast cancer. House of Aglaia Salon treated Tammy to a custom style, blowout and products; other prizes included a makeup session, spray tan, a new outfit from Lori James Boutique in Laurelwood, and dinner at the Hen House Wine Bar.

Tammy offered this really important message, “In addition to making sure to get a yearly mammogram, it is also just as important to do those pesky breast self exams” she said. “The type of cancer I had did not show up on any imaging; in fact I had a clear mammogram just seven months prior. My cancer was only discovered because I found a lump. Self exams are so easy and can save your life!”

“When we started her makeover process, her skin was damaged, and Tammy looked tired,” Tomi said. “She’s young, and we brought her glow back after all she has gone through.”

If you know someone (even yourself) you would like to nominate, SkinBody Memphis will be holding another Breast Cancer Survivor Makeover contest. Follow @skinbodymemphis for more details, and email submissions to makeovergiveaway@skinbodymemphis.com throughout the month of October.[/columnize]