New products cater to breast cancer patients
By Jim Martin, Erie Times-News, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
When she opened Braserie Dearie, a bra store, 10 years ago, she didn't specifically have the needs of post-surgical breast cancer patients in mind.
But time and a growing awareness of her customers have changed all that.
"Now I am thinking about them all the time," she said.
That's in part because Bowersox said she's recognized a need and found a way to meet that need with two lines of pocketed bras, designed to hold breast forms or prosthetics.
More recently, Braserie Dearie added pocketed bras and camisoles by Amoena and expects soon to begin offering pocketed pajamas.
The products are selling well, but Bowersox said she's been reluctant to reach out specifically to women who have had breast cancer.
The reason, she said, is that under new insurance regulations, women seeking reimbursement for their pocketed bras are mostly buying them from medical supply stores.
"Boutiques like mine quit selling pocketed bras because you had to be compliant with HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and had to run your shop like a medical facility."
Bowersox, who said her pocketed bras sell for about
"This is a friendly, happy place where we don't treat people like patients," she said.
Bowersox said she's stressing better products and a better experience.
"I don't mean to belittle medical supply stores, but the women who are fitting (bras) there might fit someone once a week," she said. "We fit women 30 times a day."
Bowersox said she's worked hard to create a comfortable atmosphere that she describes as friendly and intimate.
"It's a lot of laughter," she said.
Bowersox said she wants to offer the same experience for women who have had breast surgery.
"I want them to be a part of who we are as women," she said. "It's something I don't want them to be left out of."
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