Erin Haluschak
Record Staff
Despite a language barrier and cultural shift, Anne, a local breast cancer survivor, knows she has a deep connection with women in the small Mexican village of Rincón de Guayabitos.
The Comox Valley woman is collecting mastectomy bras to bring to cancer survivors who may not have access to proper garments to help with healing and overall self-esteem.
She is leaving mid-February for four weeks, and on her first visit, she hopes to distribute as many bras as she can to women who need assistance.
“I know what women go through with their self-esteem; you’re left with a bra that is fitted with a prosthesis, but after surgery you’re given a foamy and it slips all over the place and doesn’t fit properly.”
Anne added a properly fitting bra can help women who’ve had mastectomies feel significantly better.
“I thought of the women (in Mexico) and I don’t think they have much (to help).”
Because it’s her first trip, Anne admits she doesn’t have a contact in Rincón — about an hour away from Puerta Vallarta — but hopes to establish contacts and make her contribution of bras a yearly occurrence.
During the end of February, Anne explained the village holds a breast cancer march, and visiting Canadians dress up with bras over their clothes and decorate the area.
She saw it fitting to donate the bras during the latter half of the month, and with help from WestJet, which will ship the bras for free, Anne hopes to collect at least a dozen for her first trip.
To donate a bra or schedule a pick-up, call Anne at 250-339-4851.
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