Glam Squad lifts spirits at Lurie Children's Hospital

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Glam Squad believes when you look better, you feel better. So volunteers help some of the sickest patients feel better when they look in the mirror.

"She was singing to me and she was tap-dancing," Brooklyn Leopoldo, 11, said. "And I had my own little show."

The beauty professionals and everyday people are part of an organization called Simply from the Heart, founded by Jackelyn Kastanis. She got the idea when her childhood friend was hospitalized with cancer.

"She was a hairstylist and I know she wasn't feeling pretty and she was really lethargic. She really took pride in looking good and feeling good, so I just said, 'Listen, you need to snap out of it. We need to start doing your hair and your makeup,'" Kastanis said.

After seeing how much better her friend felt, Kastanis started the service to pamper sick people of all ages.

Two-year-old Kinzley has epilepsy.

"She's had a really rough day today. She hadn't smiled much. She has just been sleeping and being kind of lethargic and as soon as she got in here, her smile was back. She was very happy to be able to feel better even if she doesn't 'feel better,'" mom Kristin Eaton said.

The visit also gives parents a break; they know their children are in good hands.

"Even though the environment it's in a hospital, it kind of gets your head off of it. It distracts you and stuff. I'm not really thinking about being in a hospital environment," Daisey Moreno, 17, said.

The services are free and the patients get to keep all the beauty supplies.

"I think all of our volunteers and me, we walk away learning and feeling motivated to take on the challenges that we face in our everyday lives," Kastanis said.

Simply from the Heart volunteers got their nickname The Glam Squad from one of the hospitals they visited. They visit patients in seven hospitals in Chicago. The organization also just started in California and Michigan. Next up: Florida.

Kastanis hopes to eventually take the program, run through volunteers and donations, nationwide.