#making-a-difference

This summer, Andrea Pellegrini, a makeup artist in London, was diagnosed with breast cancer, inspiring her to start a video blog, Baldly Beautiful. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Pellegrini)

Early this summer, the most pressing thing on Andrea Pellegrini’s mind was booking a family getaway for her upcoming 40th birthday. But then she found a lump on her breast while taking a shower, and on July 28, 2014, her life changed forever. “All along, I was told it was most likely a fatty lump of tissue,” Pellegrini, of London, told Yahoo Health in an email. “When I went back for the results, I was told it was cancerous.”

The mother of two was shocked, unable to fully process the diagnosis she hadn’t expected to hear. “My mind was swimming, and when I looked at my husband, his face looked the same as I imagined mine was — like a cartoon dog, with its mouth wide open and tongue hanging out,” she recalled. Needless to say, “the holiday didn’t get booked, and the party has been postponed.”

Andrea Pellegrini before undergoing chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Andrea Pellegrini)

But that doesn’t mean Pellegrini has put her life on hold. Before her diagnosis, she worked part-time as a makeup artist, and her husband encouraged her to keep pursuing that career path — but with a new mission: to share her skills with other cancer patients. “My husband said to me, ‘Why don’t you set up a YouTube channel and help other ladies like yourself?’” Pellegrini said. She was hesitant at first, but after joining the Younger Breast Cancer Network, a Facebook support group, she noticed how many women were asking for beauty advice.

Related: 'Disney Princesses' Show Off Breast Cancer Scars in Artist's New Work

Since she’d done makeup for women undergoing chemo in the past, “I kind of had an idea of what makeup I would need,” said Pellegrini. “I asked them if they’d be interested in watching me do tutorials. I feel it’s so important for them to have someone to identify with.” Her support group’s enthusiastic response is what prompted her to start her YouTube channel, Baldly Beautiful. “The first video got about 800 hits in a couple of days,” she said. “The encouragement and support was amazing.”

In her videos, Pellegrini offers advice on everything from brightening skin to making lips appear plumper, which, for a woman with cancer, can make the difference between a bad day and a beautiful one. “So many ladies are in such despair. They find becoming bald so traumatic. The lashes are the thing that has upset me the most — my eyelashes have started breaking,” she said. “When you have no hair, possibly no eyebrows or eyelashes, nothing can make you feel as good as putting on some makeup and bright lipstick. I feel happier when I see my ‘old’ face with makeup on, rather than this sallow-faced bald woman starting back at me in the mirror.”

Related: Breast Pain? Why You Can Stop Worrying About Cancer

Pellegrini tries to keep her tutorials simple, since chemo saps your energy, leaving women too tired to apply elaborate makeup. In fact, her favorite tool in her beauty arsenal is perhaps the most basic: lipstick. “A bright lipstick can do wonders,” she said, which is why she advises women with cancer to invest in uplifting shades for what she calls “cheer me up days.” Other critical products: smudge-proof eyeliner — “When you’re on chemo, your eyes get watery” — and anti-redness BB cream to alleviate the blotchy skin often associated with cancer treatment.

Photo Courtesy of Andrea Pellegrini

Although Pellegrini is infectiously upbeat in her videos, the truth is, she’s nervously anticipating her surgery in early January, which will remove whatever is left of the lump in her breast after she finishes chemotherapy in a few weeks. “My hope is that I can beat this disease and send it packing,” she said.

But that doesn’t mean the end of Baldly Beautiful. Her dream is to start a makeup line geared toward women going through chemo. “I would love to set up makeup workshops one day, too,” Pellegrini said. “But for the moment, one step at a time. Getting rid of this disease is the first priority.” 

If you hadn’t considered the words “disability” and “pro-wrestling” in the same sentence before, think again. Doglegs is a pro-wrestling group based in Tokyo where people with and without disabilities fight one another. Founded in 1991, the nonprofit league aims to challenge society’s preconceived notions about what people with disabilities can and cannot do.

Related: I’m Sharing My Messy Secret to Set Someone Else Free

(Photo: Heath Cozens and Doglegs)

The term “disability” is a purposefully loose distinction in Doglegs — competitors live with conditions ranging from cerebral palsy to an intellectual disability to a mental illness, and they sometimes fight each other with little to no restrictions. The league holds matches that regularly draw between 200 and 300 spectators, about half of whom live with disabilities themselves.

Heath Cozens, a filmmaker from Wellington, New Zealand, recently created a captivating documentary (trailer below) about the unconventional wrestling league. “Doglegs” centers on five of the league’s most prominent members, interweaving their personal stories with their performances on the mat. As the league’s 20th anniversary approaches, Shintaro, Doglegs’ star fighter, prepares for the fight of a lifetime: a match against “Antithesis” Kitajima, Shintaro’s able-bodied mentor and nemesis of the past two decades.

The Mighty got in touch with Cozens to learn more about the inspiration behind the documentary, what it’s like to witness a match and what he hopes people will learn from the fascinating world of Doglegs wrestling.

Can you explain what Doglegs wrestling is?

Doglegs is a nonprofit league of able-bodied and disabled wrestlers in Tokyo who fight each other in the name of smashing stereotypes. It started almost 25 years ago as a kind of break away group — there was a feeling amongst the founding members at the time that the disabled community was condescended toward and was kind of suffocating. They felt they weren’t really able to express themselves the way they wanted to, so they formed this league as an act of defiance, really. They wanted to get out there and be rough, rude and break the rules. It was sort of an outlet for frustration.

When it started, people really felt like they were starting some kind of revolution. A lot of it was based in shock value; they wanted to shock people out of their sort of calcified thinking. The wrestlers want people who see their matches to leave entertained, but they also want to leave people with a lot to think about at the end of each match. Since it was originally founded, it has become less of a political force and more a way for individuals to explore.

Wow. So the able-bodied wrestlers and wrestlers with disabilities fight each other?

They certainly do, yes. There are four different classes: people who cannot sit up and fight lying on their backs, people who can kneel, people who can stand and then an open class, which is a mix up of everything. If an able-bodied wrestler is going up against a wrestler with a disability, though, that wrestler might be restrained somehow. For example, if they have a person who is able-bodied going against a person with cerebral palsy, the able-bodied person might have his limbs tied up. But not always. It’s up to the wrestlers.

What was it like to witness your first Doglegs wrestling match?

It was a roller coaster. I was pretty shocked. It starts out with the heaviest class, people on their backs. Sometimes those people can do little more than just lie there. But then you start to focus in and see the moves they’re pulling. You pick your favorite, you start rooting for them. It casts a spell on you. Then the next match will come on, which is meant to be more humorous. You feel weird, you think, ‘Wait, should I be laughing?’ Then you realize — they want you to laugh. It’s part of it.

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(Photo: Heath Cozens and Doglegs)

Did you at any point feel like it was exploitative?

That’s an important question to consider. Is it exploitation or empowerment? The reason something like Doglegs wrestling is relevant and useful is it forces you to ask where those concerns come from. Why are you so concerned about these people? Are they not agents of their own free will? Why would you assume they’re being exploited? You’re sort of discrediting them by assuming they aren’t agents of their own free will. Everyone is doing it for their own reasons. They’re confronting their disabilities and their demons. Maybe they’re doing it to laugh at themselves, maybe they’re not. Nobody is being forced to do anything — nobody gets paid, and Doglegs doesn’t turn a profit. It’s entirely volunteer-run.

When I first heard about the group, I thought I might have to make some kind of expose. I was coming into that from that same concerned, inclusive, liberal way of thinking. I didn’t realize that I had some condescending prejudices to begin with.

(Photo: Heath Cozens and Doglegs)

Can you describe the moment you knew you wanted to make this documentary?

As soon as I heard the words, ‘handicapped pro wrestling.’ Those are loaded words. Even the word ‘handicapped,’ is loaded, right? I thought, is this exploitative or is this empowerment? I played out some scenarios in my head, and I knew that no matter what I found, the answer wasn’t going to be black and white.

(Photo: Heath Cozens and Doglegs)

What kind of feedback have you received so far?

Well, the film has only been seen a few times, but I’ve gotten some great feedback. I was kind of surprised that so many people got it and that there weren’t any angry reactions. People really understood it — they laughed in the right places, and they all seemed to have the emotional roller coaster reaction that I’d intended.

Is there a moment you realized this film had made a positive difference in someone’s life?

There was a guy at one screening who was still talking with me half an hour after the question and answer session had ended. He was fighting back tears, and he said, ‘I just want to say thank you. Thank you.’ He had spina bifida, and he’d trained as a mixed martial arts fighter. He was deeply, deeply moved. I felt so happy then.

Related: 34 Things to Say to Someone Who’s Just Received Devastating News

(Photo: Heath Cozens and Doglegs)

What do you hope people, with disabilities and without, will take away from this film?

I hope that people who watch the film, especially abled-bodied people, will feel less afraid of disabled people. I really want to leave people with a bunch of questions churning around inside. I just hope they feel the same way I did, which is that they don’t know how they should feel about it. That they have lots of questions and strong emotional reactions. I hope it’s a process of self discovery.

On the other hand, I really do want people to have an entertaining time. A good story. So many films about people with disabilities are these generic stories about someone overcoming some big obstacle. Your eyes glaze over  and you think, ‘OK, someone’s going to tell me some inspiring story, blah blah blah.’ This is not your typical film about disabled people. This is a film about interesting people with interesting desires.

By Rachel Kassenbrock 

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