Our third annual Bras with Flair on the Square campaign took place last Wednesday and it was a huge success! We had so much fun and it was for a wonderful cause. It looks like Cincy Chic is going to be able to donate $1,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure this year from our event! Yay!
An absolute highlight of the event was being able to award a pamper package to a special breast cancer survivor. We haven’t done this in year’s past, but with the help of Locals on Living, an affiliate of the Cincinnati.Com network, we held an open nomination contest for breast cancer survivors to share their stories. The finalists were voted on by the public and Heather Ray, a 40-year-old Symmes Township resident, won a pamper package valued at $3,000 with donated products and services from Tuscany Spa.Salon, Lexus RiverCenter, La Silhouette Lingerie, Playhouse in the Park, Fusion Studio, Soho Boutique, Pure Romance and Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse.
After losing her leg to a rare cancer at the age of 13, Heather has battled three breast cancer recurrences. Just last week, she was given a bill of health! Heather has – as an individual – raised $32,000 for Race for the Cure this year, and hopes to get a prosthetic leg to compete in triathlons in the future.
Hearing her story – and all the other breast cancer survivor stories I learned about through the process of hosting Bras with Flair – I am truly inspired and humbled. Any problem, any worry, any obstacle I thought I had has been completely put into perspective. These survivors went toe to toe with a deadly disease and won, and battle every day to continue to win. All because they love life so much and they don’t want anything to take them away from the things they love doing and family they love being around.
Click here to learn more about Heather, and enjoy the video below for a sneak peak into the life of a woman who seems to have battled it all but still considers herself lucky.
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Photos courtesy of The Cincinnati Enquirer (left photo photgrapher: Gary Landers; right photo photographer: Ernest Coleman)