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| 'Prostheses and bra make me feel like a woman again' | 'Prostheses and bra make me feel like a woman again' |
| (21 days later) | |
| Paula Palmer was diagnosed with breast cancer more than 10 years ago | Paula Palmer was diagnosed with breast cancer more than 10 years ago |
| When Paula Palmer had a double mastectomy in 2014, she said she felt incomplete and didn't feel like a woman. | When Paula Palmer had a double mastectomy in 2014, she said she felt incomplete and didn't feel like a woman. |
| "There's a physical change in your body, there's a mental change in your head," she said. | "There's a physical change in your body, there's a mental change in your head," she said. |
| More than a decade on from being diagnosed with breast cancer, Paula, 56, has prostheses and a properly fitted bra, which has made her feel "like a woman again". | More than a decade on from being diagnosed with breast cancer, Paula, 56, has prostheses and a properly fitted bra, which has made her feel "like a woman again". |
| She is now supporting an online petition calling for breast cancer patients to get a voucher to buy bras and prostheses after surgery. | She is now supporting an online petition calling for breast cancer patients to get a voucher to buy bras and prostheses after surgery. |
| 'Grandma bras' | 'Grandma bras' |
| Paula, a mother of two and grandmother of three from Retford in Nottinghamshire, was initially given reconstructive surgery, but her body rejected the implants so she had to have them removed. | Paula, a mother of two and grandmother of three from Retford in Nottinghamshire, was initially given reconstructive surgery, but her body rejected the implants so she had to have them removed. |
| She said there was little choice in bras and prostheses offered by the NHS. | She said there was little choice in bras and prostheses offered by the NHS. |
| "The magazine the NHS provided, the bras in there were not sexy," she said. | "The magazine the NHS provided, the bras in there were not sexy," she said. |
| "They were like grandma bras. I am a grandma but I didn't want to look like a grandma. | "They were like grandma bras. I am a grandma but I didn't want to look like a grandma. |
| "I struggled for a long time with my mental health because I wanted to feel like a woman. | "I struggled for a long time with my mental health because I wanted to feel like a woman. |
| "I initially felt incomplete, I wanted to feel complete again." | "I initially felt incomplete, I wanted to feel complete again." |
| Paula then had protheses and a bra fitted by Janice Holmes, who runs specialist lingerie shop, Janice Rose Lingerie, in Sutton-on-Trent. | Paula then had protheses and a bra fitted by Janice Holmes, who runs specialist lingerie shop, Janice Rose Lingerie, in Sutton-on-Trent. |
| She said this improved her mental health and confidence. | She said this improved her mental health and confidence. |
| "I can be sexy and have no breasts," Paula, who says she is now cancer free, added. | "I can be sexy and have no breasts," Paula, who says she is now cancer free, added. |
| Janice Holmes helped Paula find a suitable bra and prostheses | Janice Holmes helped Paula find a suitable bra and prostheses |
| Janice started a petition on the government's website - but it and all other petitions were temporarily halted in the run-up to the general election. | Janice started a petition on the government's website - but it and all other petitions were temporarily halted in the run-up to the general election. |
| She has started a new petition - asking ministers to introduce a nationwide post-surgery voucher scheme, to provide women with greater choice and dignity, similar to the existing NHS wig voucher programme. | |
| "We think supporting this scheme would enable ladies to have more choice," the petition, which is open until 3 July, states. | "We think supporting this scheme would enable ladies to have more choice," the petition, which is open until 3 July, states. |
| "The bra and prosthesis voucher could then be presented to a professional bra fitter from an approved list of trained fitters capable of providing that expertise in a less clinical environment than in hospital." | "The bra and prosthesis voucher could then be presented to a professional bra fitter from an approved list of trained fitters capable of providing that expertise in a less clinical environment than in hospital." |
| Janice says there is not enough choice for women after breast cancer surgery | Janice says there is not enough choice for women after breast cancer surgery |
| The NHS does provide prostheses, according to its website, and Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust runs a bra shop at Nottingham City Hospital for patients who have had surgery. | The NHS does provide prostheses, according to its website, and Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust runs a bra shop at Nottingham City Hospital for patients who have had surgery. |
| "Whether it be a double mastectomy or a lumpectomy or a single mastectomy, we're all totally different shapes," Janice said. | "Whether it be a double mastectomy or a lumpectomy or a single mastectomy, we're all totally different shapes," Janice said. |
| "Bras are fundamental if you lose your breast. So to actually have the right shaped bra would be fantastic for all ladies diagnosed with breast cancer." | "Bras are fundamental if you lose your breast. So to actually have the right shaped bra would be fantastic for all ladies diagnosed with breast cancer." |
| Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. | |
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