Carol Alayne

I wonder how many of you were able to view the moving testament by Jenni Murray on the Newsnight programme recently on BBC Television.  This highly regarded presenter of the long running Woman’s Hour Programme (BBC Radio) spoke with great openness and pragmatism about the moment she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It made me think about some of my past clients who had contracted the same disease and how they came to terms with the physical changes that they were faced with.  The medical profession tells us that surgical techniques and recovery processes have changed radically over the years and the procedures are not perhaps quite as brutalising as they were once considered.  The lingerie industry has given us products that are sufficiently advanced to help disguise any changes in body shape,  however there remains still the psychological trauma linked to a perceived loss of one’s femininity.

It made me realise that as a tailor one is privy to some extremely personal moments in a client’s life,  and the role one can play professionally  in supporting the journey back to full confidence is certainly a privileged position to be invited to fulfil.

I was advised by one of my clients, a medical specialist, that should you need any information about this subject this is by far the most helpful website for research,  run by Macmillan; CancerBackup