Lingerie Loft brings post-mastectomy support close to home

Kelly McLaughlin-Truax’s life changed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. The cancer had been detected in her left breast, but after testing positive for the BRCA2 gene, she made the choice to have a double mastectomy. 

She had her surgery in Peterborough and was given a mastectomy camisole to help with her recovery. When she came home to Lindsay, she went to the Lingerie Loft, where she knew they carried more mastectomy products. 

“A lot of people think of the Lingerie Loft as bras; they don’t realize they have mastectomy bras, and aquafit,” McLaughlin-Truax said. 

Theresa Henry bought the Lingerie Loft in 2021. While the store had always carried mastectomy products, “the first thing I did when I purchased the store was (take) a course,” that trains mastectomy product sellers to become trained post-mastectomy fitters who help breast cancer survivors choose and fit external breast prostheses, post-surgical bras, and compression wear. 

The boutique offers mastectomy bras, bathing suits, tank tops, and lingerie. If they don’t carry a product, Henry said it can be ordered in. The need for these products is clear: according to the Canadian Cancer Society, one in eight women in Canada will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. 

“When somebody is diagnosed with breast cancer and they’re having a mastectomy, the surgeons know to send them here,” Henry said. When someone comes in, she donates a post-surgical garment to them. 

For customers like McLaughlin-Truax, Henry was able to make an overwhelming and stressful situation a little easier. “I went to Theresa and she showed me the paperwork, she sized me, everything,” said McLaughlin-Truax.

“The (provincial) government offers $195 every two years towards (mastectomy bras). I fill out all the grant paperwork for that, and I send in everything in for (the customer). They pay everything up front, and then the cheque will be issued and mailed to them,” Henry said. 

The Lingerie Loft also accepts donations of used mastectomy products, with Henry wanting to pay it forward for customers who might not have benefits to cover the cost. “The cost of the (products) goes up, the grants have not.” 

McLaughlin-Truax had donated her mastectomy products back to the store after getting implants put in. However, an infection led to one of her implants having to be removed. When she went back to the Lingerie Loft, Henry paid it forward for McLaughlin-Truax. 

“I want people to realize you don’t have to go to Oshawa, or Peterborough,” McLaughlin-Truax said. “Another part of (Henry’s) business is helping people who have gone through breast cancer.”

Henry is a support of the Oakwood Dragonflies, a breast cancer survivor group. “I do information sessions, telling them what is available to them, and what we offer here at the store.” 

“When the ladies come in, they’ve (just) left the surgeons, a lot of them come in like a deer in headlights. They’re handed a piece of paper from the hospital, and we give them their garment,” Henry said. 

She requires those shopping for mastectomy products to make an appointment, to ensure they’re getting the one-on-one support they need. “We give them their garment, and then they’re in tears, and I usually cry with them. They go and have their surgery, and when they come back in, now they’re friends. I make sure nobody leaves here without a hug.” 

Henry checks in on customers after their surgery. “I always follow-up and make sure they’re doing okay, because you develop a relationship with them.”