Ocean of Life
Designed by Wil Crowther

I always get a great deal of joy from the ocean, the sound of the tide meeting the sand on the beach. This was my inspiration for my creation this year (and turquoise happens to be
one of my favorite colors!).

I dedicate this bra to my mother, Elizabeth Crowther, now an 11-year-and-counting breast cancer survivor.

Uplifting Fortunes
Designed by Marilyn Goldstein

My friend was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall.

While I was watching the leaves change color, she was making doctor appointments and planning for surgery.

At Thanksgiving, while I was preparing for a holiday dinner, she was telling her friends and family about her diagnosis.

On New Year’s Eve, while I was watching the ball drop, she was recovering from a double mastectomy.

At Passover, while I was setting my table, she was shaving her head so her shedding hair would not fall in the food.

She continues to smile, always says she is great and talks about how she can help others.

I am in awe of her.

When I told her about my “fortune cookie” bra idea, she came up with a list of her own personal “breast cancer” fortunes.

• You’ll never have a bad hair day, since your new wig looks
better than your old hair.
• Your children say “I love you” every time you talk to them.
• You knew you had good girlfriends, but could have never
imagined the depth of their thoughtfulness and caring.
• Now that you’ve been through so much, you can help make someone else’s diagnosis of breast cancer a bit easier.
• You feel no stigma attached to the diagnosis of breast cancer.
• You are amazed by the number of people and organizations raising money to help find a cure.

I am honored to dedicate this bra to my courageous friend,
Ellen Saval.

Fine Wine
Designed by Susan Reisdorf

I was anxious when I had my first mammogram and cysts were found. After a sonogram and a needle biopsy, I was reassured, but watchful. As the years (and the annual mammograms and sonograms) went by, I became comfortable with my breasts. I became fascinated with the way the cysts in them grew and shrank, appeared and disappeared.

This journey, like the tending of the vines, the pressing of grapes and the turning of bottles, builds a connection, a familiarity. My breast cancer did not show up on any of those many mammograms or sonograms; but when I felt the lump the size of a pea, I knew it was different.

Most cancer can be cured if it’s caught early. Get connected to your body, monitor and nurture it like fine wine; through it flows the most precious wine of all—life itself.

Special thanks to Westminster Embroidery

Erin Go Bra
Designed by Sharon Wylie

An Irish Prayer

May God give you…
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

When my friend Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer and faced a rocky road of surgery, chemo, radiation and recovery, she traveled with courage and grace. Linda told me she was able to face her breast cancer because she was blessed by faith and friends. God was beside her every step of the way and so many good people befriended Linda—her doctor, her therapists, other breast cancer patients, her navigator, her co-workers, her church family, her sisters.

Today Linda greets each day with love, laughter and a zest for life. The luck of the Irish? Perhaps. More like a promise fulfilled. A pot of gold filled with hope, healing and happiness.

I Love Lucy and Ethel
Designed by Robin Miller

At 21 years old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Needless to say, that was a pretty devastating and life-altering moment. For me, the best way to “kick cancer’s butt,” as my good friend put it, would be to try to have fun—even in the worst situations. My mother and I played Scrabble during my chemo treatments, and I even ordered and ate pizza during A/C infusions (which is not such an easy task). I became kind of the “pet” of my cancer center and was even told by total strangers that I was their inspiration to get better.
           
While I was still in the hospital from my bi-lateral mastectomies and first round of reconstruction, my sister came to visit me. She decided that since I had some new “girls,” we needed to name them. The first thing that popped into her head was Lucy and Ethel.
           
I dedicate this bra, “I Love Lucy and Ethel,” to my family and friends who were there for me through this whole horrific experience, and to my good friend Dean, my chemo buddy, who lost the battle to the monster known as cancer.

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