Codilia Gapare struggled to find eyelashes after she suffered hair loss because of cancer, giving birth to her entrepreneurship journey.
She could use a wig for her hair but couldn’t find anything suitable for her eyes.
“I was looking for something to get me out of this dark place,” she told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.
Ms Gapare was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and now runs C-Lash, a company that makes and sell artificial eyelashes for cancer patients.
She says the lashes available in the market require one to have a bit of lashes to stick them on, yet cancer patients have none left.
Ms Gapare would do make-up and dress up everyday to feel good.
“The only thing that I found was defeating me was trying to hide the fact that I didn’t have eyelashes,” she said.
Ms Gapare modified lashes to ensure they stay in place for people who do not have lashes to stick them on.