LOVE NOTES

Our inspiration for this collection stems from a deeply personal experience; Stephanie's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2021 and is not only a survivor but also our "Sheroes" covergirl.

This year we took our campaign one step further and reached out to other women close to us who have been affected by breast cancer. Over the month of October, we will tell their stories, in an aim to imbue a sense of hope, strength, sisterhood and the victory of spirit over flesh.

The end of August 2022 delivered news I thought would never happen to me – at age 42 with two boys under 3, "you have Breast Cancer".  I didn’t think there was much more awareness that needed to be raised about Breast Cancer but I was diagnosed with lobular Breast Cancer (invasive lobular carcinoma).  It’s the 10 to 15 percent of Breast Cancers that are soft and typically don’t form a hard mass or lump, so it is often diagnosed late.

I wanted to lead as normal a life as possible, I kept working, but distraction through adversity obviously suits me. I found it very hard to use the term “journey” – I can think of far better journeys I want to be on than this one.

My daughter and sister both had breast cancer diagnoses, and so, in a way, I felt supported by their experiences and their triumphant attitudes towards the cancer. Being diagnosed at the age of 84, made me consider not having any treatment; however, with their encouragement, I decided I could do it.