Ellie Miethe and Jean Goulet not only play the roles of mother, sister, and wife in their respective families, but they also play the role of fairy godmothers to numerous breast cancer survivors.
Miethe and Goulet, sisters-in-law and breast cancer survivors themselves, knew they wanted to make a difference in the lives of others with the same disease. So Goulet, of Franklin, and Miethe, of Walpole, quit their day jobs and opted to open their own business, True to You Medical Fittings, in Walpole.
"This is such rewarding work," Goulet said. "Our clients become our friends."
True to You Medical Fittings offers a private and warm setting - in the basement of Miethe's house - for fitting breast prosthetics for women who have had a mastectomy or lumpectomy. They also customize survivors' favorite bras and swimsuits for prosthetics.
But Miethe and Goulet are more than businesswomen, they said. They are empathetic companions.
"As soon as women come in the store, we hug them, we cry with them," Meithe said. "It's unbelievable to meet people and watch their outcomes."
Miethe and Goulet were both young when they were diagnosed with breast cancer. Goulet was 33 years old and pregnant.
"It was very difficult, but I got through it with support from my family and friends," she said. "I was in treatment, my daughter was born a little early, and then I went back into treatment."
Miethe got mammograms regularly before she discovered two lumps in her breast with a self-breast exam.
"Feel those babies up," she joked. "Mammograms can't catch everything."
Goulet had a mastectomy and Meithe a lumpectomy, and both women say their experiences inspired them to reach out to others.
"Usually we are the first ones to see clients after surgery and really make them feel better. It's wonderful," Meithe said. "Their body is restored."
In addition to full breast prosthetics, True to You Medical Fittings also carries special prosthetics for swimwear and post-surgery camisoles for women immediately after surgery and during radiation. Partial prosthetics with fiber fill are also available for women with lumpectomies. Most insurance companies cover at least 80 percent of the bill for the prosthetics, Goulet said.
Miethe and Goulet are also active with the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, which is sponsoring Against the Tide, a one-mile swim, two-mile kayak, and three-mile walk on Saturday at Hopkinton State Park. The annual event drew a few hundred people last year, and was successful, said Goulet, who is on the event committee for Against the Tide.
"The organization is smaller because it is local," Goulet said. "But so much money goes directly toward finding the cause of breast cancer and prevention."
Miethe is walking in Against the Tide for the first time this year, and has put together a team of six other women, three of whom are breast cancer survivors.
"Everyone is very excited," she said.
"We expect about 400-500 people at Against the Tide this year, and this is our 16th year in Hopkinton," said Cheryl Osimo, outreach coordinator of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. "We usually raise $200,000 annually, and every year it gets bigger and bigger. At MBCC our focus is prevention and environmental research because it has been proven that only 5 to 10 percent of women get breast cancer because of genetics."
"Jean has been on the event committee for Against the Tide for a couple of years now and she is absolutely outstanding," she said. "She is so caring and sensitive, especially in situations like these that are so personal."
For more information about True to You Medical Fittings, visit BreastCareSurvivor.com. For more information about Against the Tide, visit mbcc.org/swim.
