Meet Judy and Rose, founders of the Best Breast Vest Company! These two friends joined forces after Judy had breast cancer and found that post-mastectomy, she wanted to look like her old self but she didn't want to wait to be fitted with a protheses that required more healing at the surgery site. So, she took matters into her own hands and designed a vest that had a pocket that accommodated an insert so that she didn't look "lop-sided". Rose was a stay-at-home mom and hadn't really considered going into business until Judy asked her to help her out!
In this episode, the friends share their journeys with us, and what a ride they have to share!
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If she’s going to chew gum, Rose Olesen likes to have enough to be able to blow bubbles. Knitting, reading playing board games and improvisation are the hobbies that save her sanity. She’s been married for 23 years and has one son whom she & her husband affectionally call "Robot Boy" because he’s always wearing headphones. She was born in southern Ontario and has resided in Kitchener-Waterloo ever since coming to the area for university a long time ago. She is of medium height, medium weight and has medium brown eyes. Rose is in awe of cats. Every day she has one black, one pu er [pronounced poo year] and one green tea with Jasmin, minimum. If you’re wondering what to give her, homemade cookies are an excellent choice. To help her son and husband out, she’s already written the opening line of her memorial service: “Wherever Rose is, we know she is saying, “Finally, the laundry is done.’ "
Judy Van Rhijn is the co-founder of the Best Breast Vest Co. It's a new company that sells vests to women who have had mastectomies. It is her first foray into the business world. She is an Australian lawyer by profession. She started her working life as a country town solicitor in Queensland and New South Wales. After practising for seven years, she went travelling around Australia for 3 years, writing novels and filmscripts and doing seasonal work like grapepicking, housesitting and nannying at the ski fields. During her third season at the ski resort, she met a handsome Canadian and moved to Kitchener, Ontario to be married. At that time, she was unable to work as a lawyer without returning to University to get a Canadian law degree. Instead, she started freelance writing, mostly for legal publications, and was able to work from home while she had four beautiful children in seven years.
In June 2018, when her children were 17, 16, 13 and 10, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As she prepared for a mastectomy, she tried to get fitted for a mastectomy bra and prosthesis and found that nobody would undertake that until 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, leaving her lop-sided for the first few months. Being a sewer, she came up with a vest with internal pockets as a practical solution.The response from the hospital staff was so enthusiastic that she asked her friend Rose to help her develop the idea into a business, and here they are.
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