Norman Freeman was clearly granted the serenity to accept the things he can’t change and the courage to change the things he can! The Pittsburgh native is actively chasing a career in entertainment but on his free days he tours hospitals giving cancer and alopecia patients free facial makeovers—and can we just tell y’all how he slays these faces to the gawds—for free?!
“I’ve been affected by cancer tremendously. On top of that I have alopecia. I’m never going to have hair. I just want to help them,” he told us. “I got teased so bad, there were times I wanted to kill myself; it was real bad. It was horrible. People didn’t know if I had alopecia or cancer; and the fact that they were still picking on me, thinking I had cancer just made it worse. So I just want to lift their spirits.”
His niche for makeup developed at a bittersweet time. His entertainment journey was running exceptionally smooth but he was also battling image issues caused by his alopecia. So he took a brief break from his dream so he could ultimately feel confident while doing it
“I was tired of walking around with no eye brows and eye lashes. I was real insecure and I just wanted [them]. I just wanted to go back to how I looked when I used to have hair,” he said. “So I started doing the makeup and I was horrible at first, like real bad!”
He didn’t stop there, though. Once he felt like he perfected his craft enough, he built his clientele and eventually ended up using it to give back to those who are in the shoes he was in years before.
“I want to give people that confidence that I used to have, and have now. When I put make up on it makes me feel so good about myself. Some people might need that at the beginning and eventually they’ll start to love themselves despite their health issues.”
You guys did notice the part we said he does these patients’ makeup for free? His whole project is self-funded. Every city he’s visited, he’s traveled by bus and stayed in Airbnb’s. He told us that he started a Go Fund Me account to help with his travel and lodging expenses but didn’t have much luck.
“I got 3,ooo shares and 10 donations but I didn’t care because even if I don’t get a penny I’m still doing it…some patients try to pay me but I can’t take it. One of them made me a picture that made everything worthwhile.”
Norman hopes that his patients love their makeovers so much that they not only have that extra boost of confidence for that day, but that they are inspired to learn how to do it themselves. Beyond that, he wants to lead an example of not letting your circumstance determine your life or confidence level. When Norman makes it big in Hollywood, he says he plans to keep this project going.
“Maybe once a year, for a month I want to take time off and go back to these hospitals and spend my days making these girls feel beautiful. I’ll never get too famous or too far off track to where I leave them hanging. They will always have a timeslot no matter what.”
He makes people laugh just as good, if not better than he does make up, in our opinion but check him out for yourself @NormanFreeman!
TSR STAFF: Chantel P.! @_popchanny on IG!
