Budding Fashion for Breast Cancer

When Joy Jones was going through breast cancer, she did not have a very good experience, and it wasn’t just because of the treatments, fears and stresses of the cancer itself. It was also because of the rudeness and insensitivity she faced when she went shopping.

She was a breast cancer patient who wanted to look good and feel normal, and the stores knew it. So while she already was paying outrageous medical bills, the stores Jones visited only increased her expenses with their “price gouging” tactics, Jones says.

“You want to look good and you want to feel good about yourself, so you need to have somebody who has compassion. And that’s what you can find at Busom Buds,” says Jones, manager of Busom Buds.

Busom Buds, located at 3320 Tylersville Road, is a “full breast cancer boutique,” Jones says. Jones’ daughter, Emily Smith, opened the boutique to give women a place where they can enjoy compassion, privacy and reasonable prices in contrast to the negative experience her mother had as a breast cancer patient.

Busom Buds merchandise focuses on the needs of breast cancer patients and survivors, including the need to be fashionable. They offer top-of-the-line products from Amoena, including bras with a special lining and opening to hold a prosthesis. Their bras range in price from $39 to the European bra for $52, but most of their bras are in the $40 to $45 price range.

The boutique can also help women find a prosthesis to fit their bra and their needs with a range of options. A “climate control” prosthesis has a removable pad to pop in the refrigerator to give women a cool down, and it is “ideal for women experiencing heat and perspiration problems resulting from hormone suppression therapy, hot flashes/menopause, exercise or living in warm climates,” according to the Amoena Web site.

Besides a bra and prosthesis for everyday use for patients and survivors alike, Busom Buds offers patients a more specialized product with their post-surgical camisole, a shirt “that every woman should go home [from the hospital] in,” Jones says. This product is designed with the post-surgical woman in mind from pockets built in for all the tubes to the soft and comfortable material for a recovering woman.

During and after treatments, women also can stay fashionable even if their hair is falling out. Busom Buds provides women with a selection of trendy turbans and scarves and natural wigs. The turbans allow for a quick fix with no tying involved.

Although customers are welcome any time, Jones recommends that customers make an appointment, free of charge, so that they are guaranteed a one-on-one experience in a compassionate and private setting. To make an appointment or for more information, call (513) 870-0074.

PHOTO CREDITS
Photo: Neysa Ruhl Photography
Location: The McAlpin
Model: Allison Roth of New View Management Group, Inc.
Makeup Artistry: Jocelyn Sparks, Zoë Custom Cosmetics