''Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy'' (known as ''Lipstick'' in some countries) is a 2006

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

that aired on

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

and starred

Sarah Chalke Sarah Louise Christine Chalke (; born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for portraying Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'', the second Becky Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'', Stella Zinman on ...

. It is based on the memoir of the same name, written by Geralyn Lucas. The book and the TV movie depict Geralyn Lucas's fight with breast cancer.

Plot

Shortly after graduating from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

's Graduate School of Journalism, Geralyn Lucas lands her dream job working for ''

20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...

''. Lucas is then diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

at the age of 27 and has a dilemma — whether to have a

lumpectomy Lumpectomy (sometimes known as a tylectomy, partial mastectomy, breast segmental resection or breast wide local excision) is a surgical removal of a discrete portion or "lump" of breast tissue, usually in the treatment of a malignant tumor or brea ...

or the potentially safer

mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operat ...

. After consulting several doctors (including her husband) and researching the operations she decides to undergo a mastectomy. Her subsequent

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

treatment leads to tensions within her marriage but the couple stays together. She also has

breast reconstruction Breast reconstruction is the surgical process of rebuilding the shape and look of a breast, most commonly in women who have had surgery to treat breast cancer. It involves using autologous tissue, prosthetic implants, or a combination of both wit ...

. The final shot is of Geralyn cradling her child, something she feared she would be unable to do. Geralyn meets several "angels" in the story, people who have been in similar positions to her and are able to dispense good advice. The title refers to her belief that only confident women wear red lipstick.

Cast

as Geralyn Lucas *

Jay Harrington James H. Harrington III, professionally known as Jay Harrington, (born November 15, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as the title character in the ABC sitcom ''Better Off Ted'' in 2009-2010 and since 2017 as Sgt. David "Deacon" ...

as Tyler Lucas *

Lally Cadeau Lally Cadeau (born Alice Mary Cadeau, 10 January 1948) is a Canadian stage, television, film, and radio actress. Life and career Alice Mary Cadeau was born in Burlington, Ontario, the youngest child and only daughter of a once-aspiring actress ...

as Geralyn's Mother *Harvey Atkins as Geralyn's Father * Robin Brule as Wendy *

Mayko Nguyen Mayko Nguyen is a Canadian actress of Vietnamese descent. She was born on April 19, 1980 in Vancouver, Canada. She has appeared in ''ReGenesis'', ''Rookie Blue'', ''Killjoys'', and '' Hudson and Rex''. Career Nguyen has had lead and recurring r ...

as Donna * Julie Kahner as Meredith *

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

as Moneisha *

Conrad Pla Conrad Pla (born October 24, 1966) is a Canadian actor and former professional kickboxer. He is best known for founding Tristar Gym and starring in the Canadian television series ''ReGenesis''. Early life Pla was born in Madrid and moved to Canad ...

as Cuban Taxi Driver * Geoffrey Pounsett as Dr. Bob Bradley * Jordan Baker as Adam * Andrew Gillies as Victor * Yanna MacIntosh as Dr. Crone * Janet Lo as Mammogram Nurse * Elizabeth Saunders as Dr. Meadows * John Bourgeois as Dr. Frank *

Ron Lea Ron Lea is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles in ''Doc DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: In film and television * ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series * ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom * "D.O.C." ...

as Dr. Keel *

Laurie Elliott Laurie Elliott (born January 18, 1971) is a Canadian actress, voice actress, television writer, and stand-up comedian. She is best known as the voice of Jo from ''Total Drama''. Currently she is a writer of '' Corn & Peg''. Career She has appea ...

as Woman With New Breasts * Marcia Diamond as Mrs. Jackson * Dwight McFee as Newsstand Guy *

Nicky Guadagni Nicky Guadagni (born August 1, 1952) is a Canadian actress who has worked on stage, radio, film and television. Life and career Originally from Montreal, Nicky Guadagni majored in drama at Dawson College and went on to train at the Royal Academy ...

as The Photographer * Dax Ravina as Tattoo Artist *

Lisa Merchant Lisa Merchant is a Canadian comic improviser and actress. She played Brenda Murphy on ''Train 48'', and appeared on '' Improv Heaven and Hell''. She has won three Canadian Comedy Awards for Best Female Improviser (in 2001, 2003 & 2005). Alongside ...

as Chemo Nurse * Kim Roberts as Operating Room Nurse

External links

Official WebsiteLifetime Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy Lifetime (TV network) films 2006 television films 2006 films Films directed by Peter Werner