McElhinneys of Ballybofey share an insight into their personal prosthesis and mastectomy bra fitting service.

Last week the McElhinneys Lingerie Department celebrated a special event with Majella O’Donnell for breast cancer awareness month.

Majella gave a talk charting her own breast cancer journey and the event was a unique chance for the lingerie team to showcase their prostheses and bra range. Donegal Woman discovered how the store offers a professional, confidential and personal fitting service for local women during a concerning time.

Breast Cancer Awareness Afternoon with Majella O’Donnell at McElhinneys. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin

Breast Cancer Awareness Afternoon with Majella O’Donnell at McElhinneys. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin

Expert fitter Lorna McGinley gave us a tour of the prosthesis fitting room, showing how everything has been designed to make the experience as comfortable as possible for customers.

The homely and feminine fitting room is designed like a walk-in wardrobe. It is closed off with a door rather than a curtain for privacy. All products are stored behind a sliding mirror so the fitter does not have to leave the room.

McElhinneys prosthesis fitting room

The McElhinneys Lingerie team with Majella O’Donnell at the Breast Cancer Awareness Afternoon. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin

Any woman who has had breast surgery can call into the department for a fitting – no appointments are necessary. Medical card holders are entitled to two mastectomy bras every year and a prosthesis every two years.

Lorna has been fitting breast prostheses for 10 years, and the rest of the team are well-experienced with the individual care every woman needs. A well-fitted prosthesis can restore a natural shape to those who have had a mastectomy or other forms of surgery – which is why a good fit is essential.

Breast Cancer Awareness Afternoon with Majella O’Donnell at McElhinneys. Photo: Rachel McLaughlin

Royce English Rose Mastectomy Bra, Pink & Cream – mcelhinneys.com

McElhinneys stock premium brands Anita, Trulife and Royce. The lingerie fitters have been trained with Trulife in Dublin and Royce in England. Royce is an exclusively wirefree bra for extra comfort, and the McElhinneys team return to England every year to update their skills and knowledge of the brand.

McElhinneys also cater to women who might want a more fashionable style of bra.

“If you don’t like the prosthesis bras, we can sew pockets into a bra that they do like,” Lorna said.

Mastectomy Swimsuits are also available in the department, which are not unlike any other swimsuits. There are different styles and wide pockets for prostheses.

Anita Dirban Floral Mastectomy Swimsuit, Blue & Black – mcelhinneys.com

The lingerie team are hosting one more Think Pink event for Breast Cancer Awareness tomorrow, Wednesday 1st November. All are welcome to attend.

Rachel Fitzgerald-Feeley, Breast Cancer Ireland Outreach Coordinator, will be visiting the department from 12noon. Rachel will be giving breast check demos and sharing her own journey of breast cancer.

Check out www.breastcancerireland.com to read more about the research organisation.

For breast cancer information and details of free support services locally, visit www.cancercarewest.ie.