My name is Lisa Goldman, I am a Breast Cancer survivor and the Founder of NuLyte. The bandages were removed ten days later.
In January of 2011 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I immediately opted to have my breasts removed via a bilateral Mastectomy. I was fortunate in that I was able to start the process of reconstructive breast surgery at that time. I woke up from my first surgery bandaged in a surgical vest. I had to live with the vest for at least the next 4-6 weeks as my expanders were filled. I am 5’-1” and 1
05 lbs. The standard surgical vest was too large and therefore supplied absolutely no support or relief. The expanding part of the process is very uncomfortable. They are literally stretching your skin out to create a pocket for your new breast to sit in, so you can imagine that there is a significant amount of pressure and pulling going on that this “surgical vest” wasn’t helping with. And to make matters worse not only did it not help with the physical aspect of my healing, but this surgical vest wasn’t exactly attractive. Every time that I was getting dressed the vest was a constant reminder. I was trying to move through this process mentally and physically. Your mind and attitude is such an important part of the healing process and the vest wasn’t helping there either. It was really bulky, which made me self-conscious and concerned that the vest would show through my clothes. That then everybody who saw me would know I had cancer and had my breasts removed and that was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to get on with my life and feel like myself as quickly as possible! The full reconstruction of my breasts has spanned over a year and a half and has been broken up into three surgeries. The breast removal and stretching of the pocket, insertion of implant, and finally skin graphing for ni**le reconstruction and attachment. For each of these procedures I was required to wear some form of supportive garment to help with the healing. My options were the following:
· surgical vest
· sports bra
· standard bra
Whatever I chose had to both push up and push together while not being too tight where it might disturb my stitches and recently skin graphed ni**les. And let’s not overlook the fact that a large part of the healing process after a mastectomy is emotional as well as physical. Many women identify their femininity with their breasts. I personally avoided mirrors for months. As you can see this was a tall order for a bra. I needed it to do a lot of things that ordinary bras are not designed to do all at once. I needed a bra that fit all of these absolutely necessary requirements:
· Push-up support
· Push together support
· Adjustable (tightness)around back and cups
· Seem-less
· Not bulky
· Makes me feel pretty
One would think that something specifically designed for this purpose already exists, but it does not. Trust me, I’ve looked. At this point my cancer was completely removed what was being done was now cosmetic. I was on the track to feeling whole again like the woman that I am. I wanted something that didn’t make me feel like I was weak and sick, I wanted to feel positive, like I was healing and feeling better, but every time I thought I had found the solution, it ended up becoming incredibly uncomfortable. I felt I was on the never ending search for the perfect bra that doesn’t exist. This frustration was not good for my healing process. That’s when I decided to take all that energy and create something to benefit other women like me.
