Breast cancer treatment does not end when a patient finishes surgery. After a mastectomy, many survivors need prostheses and post surgical garments as part of their recovery. However, post mastectomy care is often overlooked compared to the cancer treatment itself. Survivors deserve access to resources that can help them feel comfortable and confident during recovery. Providing private and comfortable spaces to receive these services is an important part of supporting them.
HERS Breast Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit that helps breast cancer survivors by providing post mastectomy products. At the HERS’ location inside Washington Hospital, patients can meet with professionals and try on prostheses and post surgical garments. Before my project, HERS had two fitting rooms, but the high demand for these services created a need for additional space. An available storage/office space was not being used for patient fittings, which gave me an opportunity to help the nonprofit.
For my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I decided to do just that. I transformed this underused storage room into a third fitting room. I worked closely with HERS staff to coordinate the project, including director Tina Fernandez, who helped organize the project and worked with me. I also had a group of volunteers who helped me create decorations like a painting for the room. We worked on the painting for over fifteen hours to make the room more welcoming.
I also raised nearly one thousand dollars through community outreach to purchase materials, including a retail quality mirror. Through all of these efforts, I was able to transform this unused room into a functional fitting room.
However, this wasn’t the end. A major part of my project was also spreading awareness about post mastectomy care. I reached out to community members through emails and shared information about HERS and the services they provide. Many people were interested in learning about the issue and supporting the organization. Through this outreach, I learned that many people are not aware of the challenges breast cancer survivors can face after surgery or the importance of post surgical products and fitting services.
My project showed me that supporting breast cancer survivors involves more than medical treatment. Survivors also need access to comfortable spaces, proper products and support throughout recovery. By creating another fitting room and spreading awareness about HERS’ mission, I hope to help more people understand the importance of post mastectomy care and encourage continued community support for breast cancer survivors.
