Terry Levine knows bras.
She is co-owner of clair de lune, the lingerie boutique known for its wide variety of luxurious lingerie she established in Hawthorne Plaza in 2004.
{mprestriction ids="1"}Last year she added a second location in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue, Mo. Over the years one of the things the store has become known for is its expertise at custom fitting post-surgical care garments.
That includes garments for breast cancer survivors. Through the boutique, Levine has met and assisted many survivors who come there looking for an appropriate undergarment to wear after treatment or surgery. In virtually every instance, the customer arrived with limited knowledge, a great deal of uncertainty and fear to her inquiry. It became clear to Levine that she wanted to do something to help ease the transition and make the process less traumatic.
She wanted to provide a service to these women that is lacking. So she set about establish a new foundation, First Bra, to make that happen.
As a program, First Bra moves beyond breast cancer survivorship education and advocacy, and actually puts something tangible in the hands of the survivor. To that end, First Bra provides a survivor with a free bra of her choice along with a personalized fitting experience that will lift her spirits.
"Every survivor’s journey is different. It’s such a relief to know there is a place you can go, when you are ready, to help you through the process," says Julie Levine, a breast cancer survivor and a member of First Bra’s board of directors. (Julie Levine is no relation to Terry Levine.) Besides the two Levines, other members of the First Bra board include Phyllis Stevens, Todd Fitzpatrick, Jennifer McBath and Clair Kaiser, co-owner of the clair de lune stores.
Levine said she first came up with the idea of First Bra about four years ago. She has spent the past 18 months investigating the idea and preparing to get the foundation up and running. With the help of an attorney, Levine said it was determined that First Bra should become a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Then she discussed the idea’s viability with experts in the bra industry, medical professionals, survivors and other trusted advisers.
"We wanted to make sure a breast cancer survivor would respond positively toward it and find out if this was something that sounded good to them," Terry Levine said. Across the board, she got "really positive responses" from everyone she asked.
The First Bra concept was also piloted at clair de lune for more than a year. First Bra was officially launched last month and is dedicated to providing the breast cancer survivor with a free bra of her choosing, whenever the survivor is ready to receive it. That can be weeks, months or years after post-treatment, because it is not only about the gift of a bra, but about the gift of choice for each survivor.
Levine said she loves the program because it’s really a simple premise.
"You’re a survivor, we’re going to give you a bra."
She thinks a lot of people don’t recognize what an emotional milestone getting that first bra is for a survivor.
"There is such trepidation in going in for that. They certainly know on some level that their body has changed, but really going in and having to put on a garment that is so associated with your breast just seals the deal," she explained.
Through the First Bra program, Levine said they want to make survivors feels as comfortable as possible while going through that process.
"We want this to be something that they don’t have to think about, they don’t have to worry about.
"We also take it out of the medical arena. When survivors get that diagnosis, everything is so medical oriented at that point. Even when you go into the shops that carry the wigs and so forth, they typically have more of a clinical atmosphere. So by offering bras in an atmosphere that is a regular retail store that’s got beautiful things, you don’t feel like ‘here I am going someplace for sick people.’ We think that’s going to be a more uplifting experience for her," Levine said.
The momentum around First Bra is already growing. St. Luke’s East Hospital and Clinics and The University of Kansas Cancer Center have both signed on to integrate First Bra into their patient support services programs. Dr. Ruby Meierotto,lead breast radiologist at St. Luke’s East Breast Center, and the hospital has always tried to take a more holistic approach to breast cancer, beyond the various treatment programs.
"While chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are part of the process, we take time to address the emotional issues breast cancer patients experience as well. That is why we are so excited about First Bra, and our patients we’ve talked with share that enthusiasm. The gift of a high-end designer bra is like a wonderful reward for getting through treatment," Dr. Meierotto said.
Getting involved with First Bra is easy. Survivors can request a certificate of support through theFfoundation’s website at www.firstbra.org. Each certificate includes the merchant’s name and a convenient location to visit for her fitting and free bra. Those wanting to donate to First Bra can do so through the website as well. To learn more about First Bra, visit www.firstbra.org.
As with any program like this, the program needs money to keep it going. But, Levine said, fundraising efforts have really just begun.
"So far we’ve mainly reached out to individuals and people that our board of directors have suggested would be attracted to the program and the cause. It’s still been really low key but we’ve gotten a really good response," she said.
"We have a goal between now and the end of the year of raising $10,000, which will be enough for us to fund giving away 100 bras," she continued.
After the first of the year First Bra plans to make a "big push" for funds.
"This is not the best time of year to be doing fundraising. Most corporations have already expended their charitable dollars at this point," Levine said. "We are going to come back in 2015 and get a bigger commitment from them."
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