Kim Newlen
I was recently invited to visit the home of a friend who I know from her incredible enthusiasm for bringing women together socially to share and encourage one another. You probably know her too.
Kim Newlen, founder of Sweet Monday, is well known in the Richmond community and around the country. As a matter of fact, there is a Sweet Monday event occurring in every state of the United States, except Vermont and Hawaii!
Although Kim was bubbling with enthusiasm about Sweet Monday, we talked about her many other adventures and creativity. After spending an hour with her, I was fascinated at all that she has accomplished and what she has done to make life easier and encourage women in so many ways. The one thing that touched my heart and made me realize how devoted she is to caring for other women was her creation of a simple garment – a garment that makes it easier for women dealing with the challenges associated with breast cancer treatment and mastectomies.
That’s where our deep discussion really began.
The Ugly Side of Breast Cancer
Drainage tubes and bulbs are uncomfortable and difficult to manage.
Kim was diagnosed with breast cancer and found herself in the hospital feeling “wounded, sore, and unfeminine” after surgery. But surgery was just the beginning.
For those who have been through this experience personally or with a loved one, you know that breast cancer surgery is more than one surgical procedure – and treatment can take months or years.
“It was a rigamarole changing clothes for endless treatments,” Kim explains.
For women who undergo treatment after breast surgery, the daily doctor visits, radiation and chemo treatments are exhausting — plus changing clothes, managing tubes and medical devices, and dealing with the whole situation. And after breast surgery, raising your arms even the slightest bit is hard enough without the worry of constantly changing clothes so frequently.
Surgery typically comes with many days and weeks of dealing with drainage tubes, bulbs, and uncomfortable apparatus to manage the site of the incision for proper healing. Each implanted drain has a drainage bulb and a drainage tube outside the skin near the surgical incision. It’s a daily ritual of measuring how much blood and lymph collects in the surgical drain. These drains help prevent lymphedema and hematomas from developing, which is common after this type of procedure.
Breast cancer also comes with many days, weeks, and months of radiation and chemotherapy. That means many trips to healthcare facilities where dressing, undressing, undergoing treatment, and returning home can be exhausting, embarrassing, and as Kim puts it, “just plain ugly”.
Kim couldn’t find anything to wear to help her manage the tubes and bulbs required during the healing process. Hospital gowns worn front and back and tied together on the sides are the typical clothing for women going through this ordeal while in the hospital. Returning home, an oversized button-front man’s shirt is often the garment of choice because there aren’t many options for comfort and managing the medical equipment.
“As if reeling from the physical and emotional pain of the diagnosis wasn’t enough, now I had to deal with the fact that I had nothing to wear and I felt ugly and embarrassed,” Kim explained.
She turned to her husband one day after the surgery as she looked in the mirror and said, “Now I know why they call cancer a battle. I feel like I have been in a war! I am so wounded and sore.” She continues, “I felt unfeminine! No woman feels good after any surgery. I wanted ‘to look better than I felt’ — not only for me but for my precious, scared 12 year old daughter waiting for me to come home from the hospital! That’s when I knew I had to do something, so I got busy.”
Look Better Than You Feel
Working with a Manhatten-based fashion designer and developing a patented design, Kim created the LookBetterThanYouFeel® surgical camisole. It’s a flexible, functional, and fashionable camisole that can be worn anywhere, anytime. And no one will ever know it is a medical garment.
Kim wearing a leopard print garment.
It has discreet pockets inside to manage the tubes and bulbs for drainage, and it is flexible and easy to remove for treatment quickly. Kim shared her garments with me during our visit and I was amazed at how they looked – fashionable, feminine and quite comfortable – nothing like I expected to see in a medical garment.
“It’s so exciting for me because I know how it feels to go through breast cancer surgery and follow-up treatment. And I know that having a garment that is functional and beautiful at the same time makes it much easier for me as a woman. I didn’t want to look ugly for my family, my friends, and the medical team helping me – or myself! Finding a way to ‘look better than I feel’ was more important at this time than ever before.”
Kim created the garment in colors for every woman.
It was funny but I spent the first hour with Kim not even knowing that she was wearing one of the garments. And it didn’t take me long to realize that this is a garment that serves more than one purpose. Why not wear it when breast-feeding, or after cancer treatment is done? It’s still a great piece of clothing for an outing. It’s really that nice (I know because I have one!). What about elderly women who have difficulty dressing and undressing for doctor’s appointments – it’s the perfect modest undergarment and camisole all in one!
Three hospitals currently provide this garment to women who undergo mastectomies in their facilities, including Massey Cancer Center at VCU, Bon Secours Cancer Institute, and University of Virginia Health System. It’s all about “medical made pretty” as Kim explains.
I asked Kim if I could share her story with others, and she bubbled with excitement. She has an infectious smile and laugh, and her enthusiasm for women and life is inspiring. I knew this would be something that Richmond moms would want to know and share. Whether you’re dealing with the challenges of breast cancer or know someone who is, you definitely want to check out Kim’s website.
Kim made it clear to me that she is not interested in the marketing aspect of clothing - she is interested in making women feel better about themselves and offering them a chance to at least feel better about how they look when they are going through such a difficult time in their lives.
Spending time with Kim made me grateful for all of my friends and the many people in my life who give me so much just by being there when I need them.
That’s what Kim is all about – helping women one by one to “Look Better Than You Feel“.
Meet Kim in person!
May 13th, 4-6 pm
Home of Richard & Sherry Sharp.
Tickets will go on sale soon on the website and by calling the Sweet Monday office at 804-754-4333! If you would like to be a sponsor, you can email the office at info@sweetmonday.org.
