New Cancer Focus bra-fitting service for patients in Cookstown

The new service has been set up in partnership with the Cookstown-based cancer charity LiLac for local women who have had breast cancer surgery.

Women are invited to come along for a confidential consultation in a sensitive and caring environment at LiLac (Life is for Living after Cancer) at 14 Union Street, Cookstown. The service will be facilitated by local volunteers who have been specifically trained by Cancer Focus.

 This is the seventh bra-fitting service that Cancer Focus (the new name for the Ulster Cancer Foundation) has set up in Northern Ireland, in addition to Belfast, Altnagelvin, Enniskillen, Dungannon, Newry and Omagh. There are also plans to provide a new service in the Northern Trust area in the near future.

Eileen Creery, Care Services Co-ordinator, Cancer Focus, said: “After surgery and treatment for breast cancer some women feel less confident about their body and self-image. Feeling good in your clothes can make a real difference and following breast surgery there is no reason why women shouldn’t continue to wear the clothes they love.

“We have a wide range of the latest attractive styles to suit different activities and lifestyles and our staff will help you choose the right bra, in the right size, to suit you,” she said. “The service is completely free and totally private. The specially designed bras can also be bought at cost price.  Women from the Cookstown area no longer have to travel long distances to shop for what they need.” 

Breast cancer patient Martha English (56), from Cookstown, has used the service and is delighted with the professional approach of the staff at the centre and the convenience of the service.

“I went for a routine mammogram in mid-July last year and when I got a letter within a week to attend an appointment at Antrim Area Hospital I knew something was wrong. I had an ultra-sound and a biopsy on the same day which was totally unexpected. I was called back a week later for the results and got the devastating news that I had breast cancer.

“It was a total shock, all the more because I hadn’t been unwell and didn’t have a lump. I was told the cancer was like grains of sand which had spread through the tissue and there was no choice but to remove the breast and lymph nodes, “ said Martha, who has seven grandchildren.

 “I had my operation on August 31 last year and started chemotherapy in October, which I found really hard and I ended up with a bad infection. My chemo finished in February and I didn’t have to have radiotherapy, which was a relief. Now I am on the drug tamoxifen for five years.

 “I went for my first check up a few weeks ago which was clear – I was so happy about that, as you can imagine. It’s a very scary time. I also had a CT scan which was clear. I feel I am starting to pick up at long last and feel well enough to do two shifts a week in a local charity shop.

 “I am originally from England and one of my daughter’s lives there - my other daughter lives inItaly. Although they are very good to me and keep in touch and visit, I can’t drive and for a time I felt quite isolated and alone. I have arthritis and have had other health problems in the past, which got me down. I also lost my son Malcolm, who was 20, in a house fire 15 years ago, which I’ve never got over,” she revealed.

“A nurse told me about LiLac so I contacted the centre after my first session of chemo. At the centre I attended a Zest for Life programme, which is provided by Cancer Focus, and I’ve met so many new friends. We’ve stayed together and meet every two weeks at LiLac.

“I’ve also been along to a Cancer Focus LivingWell weekend at Corrymeela where I met people from all over Northern Ireland. It’s been so good for me. I’ve never had so many friends and I’m not alone anymore – there is always someone on the phone to talk to. The care I have received has been fantastic.

 “Before Cancer Focus opened its bra-fitting service at LiLac there was only one shop in Magherafelt which supplied specialised bras – and they were only in one colour and one style. I had four bras which were all the same. I also tried a lot of big stores in London but they didn’t stock any. I didn’t realise until I was diagnosed how many women are affected by breast cancer and I was so surprised that there aren’t more stores to cater for people like me.

 “The bra-fitting service is marvellous, there is so much more variety and at last I have a choice about what to wear. Many of the bras are sold at cost price so they’re also less expensive. I don’t feel as self-conscious about going for a fitting because everyone at LiLac knows what you are going through, and the staff and other clients are just lovely. They really put you at your ease.

 “The day I was diagnosed was a very dark day and for about three weeks I wanted to curl up and disappear. But now I feel the strongest I’ve ever been in my life. I found the strength to get through this from somewhere and I think it’s essential to stay positive. God is good and I look on the bright side of life.”

Leanne McConnell, LiLac centre manager, said: "I am delighted that LiLac is now offering this excellent bra-fitting service. Over the years clients have asked if it was possible to provide bra-fitting locally so they don't have to travel and now we can offer it right on their doorstep.

 “I would encourage local women who have had breast cancer surgery to come into the LiLac centre for a professional fitting. This individual and sensitive service will help them to feel more confident and comfortable in their clothes."

 To book an appointment or to find out further information about the bra-fitting service please contact at LiLac Mon to Fri, 9.30am-1.30pm on 028 8676 6866.

For more information about Cancer Focus click on www.cancerfocusni.org, call 028 9066 3281 or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @CancerFocusNI

                                                     -ends -

For further information please contact:

Pauline Wylie, PR & Events Manager, Cancer Focus, on 028 9066 3281 / 07810 371118 or Marie Foy, PR & Events Officer, Cancer Focus, on 028 9066 3281 / 07736 358692