It's October! It's Think Pink Month!

October means Think Pink Month.. it's all about raising awareness about breast cancer and raising funds for research into this terrible disease. This morning I was happy to attend the Brisbane North Chamber of Commerce Think Pink Breakfast. A good fiund raising event and a time to catch up with old friends. This morning we heard of one brave young mother and her breast cancer journey and how she has met the challenge head on and made her life better after her treatment. While there I had a chance ot catch up with Leonie Young from Kim Walters Choces at the Wes;ey hospital. And as usual.. M

ark was there with one of his cameras!

Wow.. where did the past few months go?

Cannot believe it is nearly 6 months since I took time to write on my blog. Time goes so fast. Today we have just finished our best September ever and in fact one of our best months in business. This past month we have welcomed a lot of new customers who have found our specialist mastectomy store at Clayfield to have the widest variety of mastectomy products on offer and we're now easier to get to... and they have also discovered a great coffee shop/cafe nearby for a coffee and cake after their visit. Yes, what a busy month and as I closed up the shop tonight I looked around and realised we have never before had such a variety of mastectomy bras and swimwear to offer to our special ladies. On a personal level this has been a tough year with the loss of our family dog dorothy to cancer and also to have to members of my family fighting the good fight with their own cancer journeys. But onwards and upwards.... as we move towards the Christmas Holiday season we have still more new pretty mastectomy bras and swimsuits coming into the Boutique. Do drop by and have a look for yourself. We have a single car park behind our shop in Drane Street, it is signposted but if it is occupied there are always vacant spots on the street itself. Debra

Amonea Leisure Wear

Amoena have released a range of leisure wear. Fresh into the boutique and it is a big hit. Tops with prosthesis pockets (no need to wear a bra) and matching pants to go with them. Apart from exercise, these are ideal to wear on long plane trips. They are slowly being added to our website under Mastectomy Bra. Have a look.. you'll love them!

Some sad days in April

During April Mark & I lost our little dog Dorothy to liver cancer. Over a period of 5 weeks, she just went off her food a little bit, Mark noticed it and took her to the vet. An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. She did enjoy a couple of good weeks after diagnosis, but went down hill very fast about 2 weeks ago. We had to make that hard decision to have her put to sleep. Lots of tears from us both and we do miss her so much. But Dorothy will live on in our newsletter and on our blog sire. We had her nearly 12 years, she brought so much joy into our lives and in fact saved mark's life when the house nearly burnt down.

A well needed break!

After an amazing month at the Boutique with our March newsletter and its promotion, Mark and I are enjoying a well earned break. He has had a few good jobs of late and so surprised me with an Easter treat at Anantara Spar resort in Phuket. This place is amazing. The best massages I have ever had. The Thai girls are so gentle and have a heat compress system to relax your muscles before the massage. Apart from that we have been floating around the pool and sleeping. Mark found a deal where the breakfast was included.. so we have a big breakfast and save some money by skipping lunch. (He needs to skip lunch for about 10 years I think!) In my absence Christina has been running the boutique with help from Glena from Amoena. My heartfelt thanks to both of them. Tomorrow, Friday we start our trip back home with a flight to Singapore and then the midnight special back to Brisbane. If you need time out to relax and heal, then this is the spot. While not the cheapest place to stay... it is certainly a "spiritual recharge" as Mark calls it. My thanks to our travel agent Kim Ross from Ross & Turner Travel Associates and also to all the wonderful staff here at Anantara Phuket. See you all next week. Debra

My prosthesis has a hole in it!

Sadly we get this call at least once a day. Amoena breast prostheses are beautifully made by hand by ladies working in their German factory. The are soft and designed to mimic a real breast, especially in feel. If someone hugs a prosthesis wearer, they won't know you're wearing one. They are that good. However, the same qualities that make them like this also mean that you need to take lots of care of them. One area that catches some ladies out is this: Amoena warrants their prostheses against manufacturing faults for 2 years. If you manage to puncture the prosthesis, then that is not a warranty item. Much like getting a nail in your car tyre. The tyre shop will not replace your tyre because it is punctured. It is an area that is outside the control of the manufacturer. Here are a couple of pictures of a punctured prosthesis. In this case, the damage was done by the pin on a corsage of flowers. Other causes of punctures can be carrying thorny cuttings when you are gardening, or wearing brooches or name pins etc. One of the "natural enemies" of the breast prosthesis is the domestic cat. We have lost count of the number of punctured prostheses we have seen with multiple holes from a cat's claws. Can you see the tiny dark spot that is the puncture? Below is a close up of the puncture in the prosthesis. As you can see.. the smallest hole in them causes an immediate leak of the whipped silicone oil inside the prosthesis. While prostheses are robust, one puncture can be the ending of them. Also if you like swimming, you should use a swim form, especially if diving deep in the pool. They are designed for water immersion and have special grooves in them to allow water to drain away quickly when you get out of the pool. So remember, keep all sharp objects away from your prosthesis and it will give you a good service life. It is also very important to wash it every second day at least to keep skin oils form ageing the envelope material. We have seen some really dirty prostheses come into the shop.. keeping them clean extends their life. Catch up again soon. Debra

Stuck in Melbourne

So I flew to Melbourne last week to attend the breast care nurses conference. Learned a lot. As I have elderly relatives here i thought I would spend the weekend with them. Head off to the airport tonight and my flight isn't on the departure board. So what's going on? Well Virgin have cancelled my flight. Excellent customer service in not advising me earlier. To their credit they have put me up for the night.. but now I won't be back at the boutique until late tomorrow morning. Virgin have all my contact details.. one short phone call earlier in the day and I could have made other arrangements. You need to lift your game Virgin! Not good enough! Some of us have small businesses to run.. and our homes depend on it! Cheesed off Debra