The story of the Skin association and its founder

START OF THE PARTNERSHIP

MEET THE FOUNDER

RENCONTRE AVEC LA FONDATRICE

Cécile Reboul helps people in remission from cancer to rebuild their lives. Her association, Skin, created almost 10 years ago, accompanies each patient in their "life after". Because yes, there is a "life after cancer". The intense period of struggle, when the people around you are generally omnipresent, is sometimes followed by isolation, doubts, and above all, great difficulty in accepting that nothing will be the same as before. It is at this point that Skin intervenes, by bringing together artists and patients within the framework of an artistic project, realised in pairs, presented first to the general public and then exhibited in photographs in hospitals. As emphasised by Cécile: "to prepare for this ‘life after’ with the support of Skin, is to bet on a successful transition.”

CECILE REBOUL, FOUNDER OF THE SKIN ASSOCIATION, ANSWERS QUESTIONS FROM LES GEORGETTES

The Skin association echoes your own story. Can you tell us about it?
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40. After my treatment, when I returned home, I wanted to make up for lost time. It took me two months to get over the fatigue before I started going out with friends, to the theatre, to restaurants, etc. But very quickly, the post-traumatic shock hit me like a ton of bricks. After cancer, the people around you say, "It's behind you, the hardest part is over, everything is as it was before." So, we feel guilty, we don't dare to complain and we isolate ourselves from the outside world. 2 out of 3 people feel that the aftermath of cancer is more difficult to live with than the disease, according to the 7th report published by the Societal Cancer Observatory in 2018. There is a lot of talk about returning to work after cancer. However, before returning to work, to other people, and to society, we must first return to ourselves.

How did you get the idea for Skin?
How did you get the idea for Skin?I wanted to write a book and distribute it in the waiting rooms of cancer departments. For the illustration, I got in touch with photographer Karine Zibaut. Over the months, a friendship formed. She humbly encouraged me to talk about my feelings and it really had a therapeutic effect. When I first saw the portraits she had done of me, I was stunned. It was like looking at someone else. I had become this new woman through this joint creative project. So instead of the book, I decided to create the association and to call it Skin because the skin, the largest organ of the human body, is the ultimate social organ - granted, it may tell your story through its scars, but it is also the fastest to regenerate. Emotional healing is essential.

How do you build your network of partners? Why include Les Georgettes?
In the beginning, I asked my network of friends and the patients I knew for their opinion on my project.It sounded like a good idea. Then each of us rallied our own network of contacts, and over time we started to grow. Today, I am assisted by a team of staff with various skills - Laura, Julie, Elise, Aurélie, Pascal, Olivier, and now Catherine. It is thanks to the strength of this magnificent team that Skin is growing. When the Les Georgettes brand offered me its support, I realised that we shared the same values. This French brand, with workshops located in the Ardèche region of France, pays particular attention to its craftsmen and the quality of its expertise. The bracelets form an open circle that symbolically represents Skin, which speaks of a virtuous circle and an open attitude towards the future, whereby a woman rebuilds her own life, and then hands over the baton to other patients. On the other hand, the personalization of the jewelry is similar to the way the association treats each person on an individual, case-by-case basis.

CECILE REBOUL, FOUNDER OF THE SKIN ASSOCIATION, ANSWERS QUESTIONS FROM LES GEORGETTES

The Skin association echoes your own story. Can you tell us about it?
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40. After my treatment, when I returned home, I wanted to make up for lost time. It took me two months to get over the fatigue before I started going out with friends, to the theatre, to restaurants, etc. But very quickly, the post-traumatic shock hit me like a ton of bricks. After cancer, the people around you say, "It's behind you, the hardest part is over, everything is as it was before." So, we feel guilty, we don't dare to complain and we isolate ourselves from the outside world. 2 out of 3 people feel that the aftermath of cancer is more difficult to live with than the disease, according to the 7th report published by the Societal Cancer Observatory in 2018. There is a lot of talk about returning to work after cancer. However, before returning to work, to other people, and to society, we must first return to ourselves.

How did you get the idea for Skin?
How did you get the idea for Skin?I wanted to write a book and distribute it in the waiting rooms of cancer departments. For the illustration, I got in touch with photographer Karine Zibaut. Over the months, a friendship formed. She humbly encouraged me to talk about my feelings and it really had a therapeutic effect. When I first saw the portraits she had done of me, I was stunned. It was like looking at someone else. I had become this new woman through this joint creative project. So instead of the book, I decided to create the association and to call it Skin because the skin, the largest organ of the human body, is the ultimate social organ - granted, it may tell your story through its scars, but it is also the fastest to regenerate. Emotional healing is essential.

How do you build your network of partners? Why include Les Georgettes?
In the beginning, I asked my network of friends and the patients I knew for their opinion on my project.It sounded like a good idea. Then each of us rallied our own network of contacts, and over time we started to grow. Today, I am assisted by a team of staff with various skills - Laura, Julie, Elise, Aurélie, Pascal, Olivier, and now Catherine. It is thanks to the strength of this magnificent team that Skin is growing. When the Les Georgettes brand offered me its support, I realised that we shared the same values. This French brand, with workshops located in the Ardèche region of France, pays particular attention to its craftsmen and the quality of its expertise. The bracelets form an open circle that symbolically represents Skin, which speaks of a virtuous circle and an open attitude towards the future, whereby a woman rebuilds her own life, and then hands over the baton to other patients. On the other hand, the personalization of the jewelry is similar to the way the association treats each person on an individual, case-by-case basis.

"Before returning to work, to other people, and to society, we must first return to ourselves."

How do a patient and an artist choose each other?
First I talk to the patients and the artists to determine who to put together. I intuitively perceive which pairings will work. Then, the pairs meet away from the association, working at a pace that suits them, and create a work or an artistic performance together, over the course of around 12 months. The idea is to let go and let the artist, always exercising due care, invite the patient to discover her universe and to view herself differently, through fun, beauty, sharing and the passing of time. It's a real challenge. In the end, it all starts with a shared encounter. Artists are the first to make the patient feel less guilty. Removing guilt is an essential step in the healing process.

How do you find the artists?
The artists approached us voluntarily. Some are repeat collaborators, others do not necessarily have the time to invest over a whole year. We have some well-known artists, such as the photographer Bernard Matussière, the painter Caroline Faindt, the choreographer Blanca Li, the actress Ana Girardot, etc..

Which patient-artist projects have made the biggest impact on you?
I remember a sketch created by Cyril Garnier - the established comedian - and a patient suffering from cancer, but also from a genetic disease that alters facial expression. I had asked Cyril to take charge of directing the scene. He had never done it before, but it gave him the opportunity to discover a new profession. Later, the same duo decided to co-write a comedy sketch on the theme of difference and harassment, to be staged and performed at the college where the patient had once been teased. Humour is an extraordinary means of therapy! I also remember a woman who was very distressed by her illness, who told me "I want someone to make me dance with my cancer". I put her in touch with a choreographer. Together, they created and performed a choreographed performance, which they subsequently continued to perform in hospitals in Brittany.

How is the exhibition organised within the scope of a public event?
Through the network of friends and artists, which we maintain and rebuild each year. One of our painters is a theatre producer and puts us in touch with venues. Sometimes we are contacted directly by galleries, town halls, etc. We also need to find a volunteer curator to design the staging and establish the links between artistic pairings.

How do a patient and an artist choose each other?
First I talk to the patients and the artists to determine who to put together. I intuitively perceive which pairings will work. Then, the pairs meet away from the association, working at a pace that suits them, and create a work or an artistic performance together, over the course of around 12 months. The idea is to let go and let the artist, always exercising due care, invite the patient to discover her universe and to view herself differently, through fun, beauty, sharing and the passing of time. It's a real challenge. In the end, it all starts with a shared encounter. Artists are the first to make the patient feel less guilty. Removing guilt is an essential step in the healing process.

How do you find the artists?
The artists approached us voluntarily. Some are repeat collaborators, others do not necessarily have the time to invest over a whole year. We have some well-known artists, such as the photographer Bernard Matussière, the painter Caroline Faindt, the choreographer Blanca Li, the actress Ana Girardot, etc..

Which patient-artist projects have made the biggest impact on you?
I remember a sketch created by Cyril Garnier - the established comedian - and a patient suffering from cancer, but also from a genetic disease that alters facial expression. I had asked Cyril to take charge of directing the scene. He had never done it before, but it gave him the opportunity to discover a new profession. Later, the same duo decided to co-write a comedy sketch on the theme of difference and harassment, to be staged and performed at the college where the patient had once been teased. Humour is an extraordinary means of therapy! I also remember a woman who was very distressed by her illness, who told me "I want someone to make me dance with my cancer". I put her in touch with a choreographer. Together, they created and performed a choreographed performance, which they subsequently continued to perform in hospitals in Brittany.

How is the exhibition organised within the scope of a public event?
Through the network of friends and artists, which we maintain and rebuild each year. One of our painters is a theatre producer and puts us in touch with venues. Sometimes we are contacted directly by galleries, town halls, etc. We also need to find a volunteer curator to design the staging and establish the links between artistic pairings.

"Artists are the first to make the patient feel less guilty."

Are photographic exhibitions in hospitals permanent or temporary?
At the Institut Curie, our long-term partner, exhibitions are permanent. The Gustave Roussy Hospital has exhibited our pieces several times on a temporary basis. We have also had some exposure in other French hospitals, in Canada and in Belgium!

Do you keep in touch with the patients?
Yes, but every story - like every person - is different. Skin is a short-term transition, except of course in the case of metastatic cancer, where people live with the disease for a long time and thus benefit from Skin's support over the course of several years. In addition to the joint projects, we also organise group and artistic workshops, as well as cultural outings. The idea is both to bring pleasure and to re-establish a bond.

A motto to share with Les Georgettes?
"Don't be afraid. Be confident. Everything will be fine." I received these words in a letter sent to me by a woman - now a friend - who learned of my cancer diagnosis. She had been in the same position a few years before me. Her words really echoed with me and were incredibly powerful, so I promised myself that I would pass on this message, to reassure all these women, to show them that they are not alone, that there are solutions, that an "after" is possible, and to make them feel visible again.

Are photographic exhibitions in hospitals permanent or temporary?
At the Institut Curie, our long-term partner, exhibitions are permanent. The Gustave Roussy Hospital has exhibited our pieces several times on a temporary basis. We have also had some exposure in other French hospitals, in Canada and in Belgium!

Do you keep in touch with the patients?
Yes, but every story - like every person - is different. Skin is a short-term transition, except of course in the case of metastatic cancer, where people live with the disease for a long time and thus benefit from Skin's support over the course of several years. In addition to the joint projects, we also organise group and artistic workshops, as well as cultural outings. The idea is both to bring pleasure and to re-establish a bond.

A motto to share with Les Georgettes?
"Don't be afraid. Be confident. Everything will be fine." I received these words in a letter sent to me by a woman - now a friend - who learned of my cancer diagnosis. She had been in the same position a few years before me. Her words really echoed with me and were incredibly powerful, so I promised myself that I would pass on this message, to reassure all these women, to show them that they are not alone, that there are solutions, that an "after" is possible, and to make them feel visible again.

"Do not be afraid. Be confident. Everything will be fine."

Explore the Skin association's website