Passion—It's the things that drive us and keep us awake at night. "It's that passion and labor of love for wanting to help others that drives me".
Hi I'm Linda Lewis, inventor and entrepreneur of 15 years and counting. I am almost never comfortable talking about my accomplishments, something I am told I must do more. "Finding a way to help women overcome their fear and anxiety about taking care of their breast has been a part of me most of my life". As a young girl, I was very anxious about how fast my breast grew and at that age of innocence, I never wanted them to show and going to the doctor was the last thing I wanted. During those years, this disease and the fight against Breast Cancer was not something people and families talked about openly. The Early Detection Saves Lives tag line was not used, much less practiced as it is today.
After years in corporate America, I realized that if I was ever going to take the leap of becoming a business owner, it was then or not at all. My dream of business ownership came natural. I opened a small designer boutique and an online store specializing in custom bra fitting and high end European sleepwear in 1996. Teaching women how to choose the best bra for support, comfort and style was easy but still something was missing. It wasn't until I opened a 2nd store that I started to fit mastectomy clients that my passion came to life.
Women began to share their personal stories of fear and anxiety about Breast Cancer constantly. One common remark was repeated often, "If I had known how to do a breast self exam, maybe I would have found something early" or "I don't know how to do it, so I just wait until my ANNUAL mammogram". I was speechless! So I began teaching women how to perform a breast self exam whenever I did bra fittings. I found talking to women and helping to build or rebuild their self esteem was more rewarding than I ever imagined. Genetically, I am predisposed to Breast Cancer & Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer. I have had my run in with all. Bouts with endometrial and ovarian cancer prohibited me from having biological children. Today, I am cancer free and my husband & I have more children than we would have ever had! The best part is that I can spoil them and send them home! The best of both worlds.
When I was approached by a hospital administrator a few years ago, to locate a wearable teaching tool that clinicians could use in a classroom setting, I jumped at the opportunity. I had fitted all sizes and shapes of boobs for years and knew exactly what they needed. However, products that claimed they would fit a range of breast sizes was found not to be true.
This began my transition from retailer to manufacturer, my labor of love and vision was clear, but the process I wanted had never been done or even attempted. Once I located manufacturers, the first Breast Chek Bra Kit was born. The garment has evolved and today, The Breast Chek Kit shirt is an exceptional, high quality designed product. It looks good, it feels like a second skin and it fits as many bra sizes as possible. It fits small beautiful women, it fits big beautiful women and NOT the "full figured" women that magazines claim to be "full Figured".
We received our first U.S. Patent 613478 in 2010. This product does not keep a woman from getting Breast Cancer, nor is it a cure for Breast Cancer. What it does is simple— it gives us a fighting chance at Early Detection! The earlier we detect it, the better chance of survival we have.
Until there is a cure for Breast Cancer, my hope is that this product will help women and young ladies around the world to be one step ahead of this disease.
