You never know what ingenuity lies inside of you until life beckons you to find it. I could never have anticipated how overcoming the greatest medical challenge in my life would turn me into an inventor.

 

In 1995, a routine breast self-examination started me on a journey that continues today. My GP scheduled a precautionary mammogram to investigate the odd dimpling on the side of my left breast. The mammogram and ultrasound lead to a surgeon and a stunning diagnosis of Breast Cancer. The news was even harder to digest against the reality that I had no risk factors, no family history of Breast Cancer and enjoyed a fairly active and healthy lifestyle. The news traveled with me on my journey with my husband and two sons to England for a wedding and echoed in the ears of my parents, sisters, in-laws and friends. The surgery to remove the cancer was waiting on the other end of the arrival gate and I faced it bolstered by the love and support I had received on our trip.

 

The lumpectomy on October 5, 1995 was followed by a mastectomy on November 7, 1995 because the first surgery had been unable to achieve clear margins. Despite being warned that lobular carcinoma is often found in the other breast, I declined a double mastectomy. The decision to keep my other breast necessitates close monitoring and annual checkups at the Cancer Clinic. I was prescribed Tamoxifen for five years as a follow up treatment because my lymph nodes were clear. In addition to the medication I increased my physical activity and developed a pro-active attitude towards my health.

 

When I learned in 1998, that Kathy Levi was forming the Knot-a-Breast Dragon Boat Team for Breast Cancer Survivors, I knew I needed to be a member. The Team offered a positive and supportive environment in which to socialize and exercise. I soon realized that exercising with only one breast had its challenges, particularly when there were no bras to fit the situation. I designed a sportsbra for a woman with a mastectomy and trialed them on 12 of my friends. After a few adjustments the response was resoundingly that I had fashioned the “perfect” sports bra. With this realization came the creation of Janac Sportswear and the launch of the original sports bra “Aggie”. The line of sports bras also includes two styles named after some of my inspirational teammates “Dinah” and “Anna”.

 

Although the bra was fabulous, I noticed one day while exercising that my gel prosthesis did not mimic the actions of the female breast. This realization came while I was stretching over an exercise ball and resulted in not only my landing in laughter on the floor, but in the development of a Prosthesis labeled the Been-a-Boob. The name simply reflects the fact that the prosthesis is inserted where a breast once existed. The Been-a-Boob is a pocket made of a special quick-drying material and filled with small pellets which molds into the shape of a breast when put in the pocket of the sports bra or any mastectomy bra or swimsuit.

 

Since the research shows that exercise increases the chances of beating a malignancy, it is crucial that women and breast cancer patients stay active.

See Physical Activity and Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis

 

I know too well the difficulty of embracing a body that looked disfigured and felt foreign to one that I had become accustomed to for most of my life. I created Janac Sportswear so that women could take care of their physical health in comfort and feel confident about their body at any stage of life. The Janac Sportswear sports bra is unique because it is the only mastectomy sports bra on the market that can be worn as a bra top. The bras are made for women of all breast sizes and designed to feel like the bras that were worn prior to surgery.

 

There is no limit to what types of activities can be done while wearing this bra, from gardening to aerobics, and no one will even realize you are wearing a prosthesis because all they will see is you.

 

Testimonials: http://www.janacsportswear.ca/testimonial.htm