The day before her 28th birthday, Dana Donofree heard the words, you have breast cancer.
“I was completely devastated,” Donofree said. “My world changed completely in that day.”
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First the trauma of a double mastectomy, then, the stark realization her old bras were worthless.
“Why am I so emotional about this?” Donofree asked herself. “And why do I let this affect my day? I should try to do something about it. Maybe there’s something to be done here.”
So last year, Donofree did something no one in the world had. She started the first company making bras just for breast cancer survivors — cleverly called AnaOno Intimates.
“A lot of it is my name, without the double D’s,” Donofree said.
Sales are up 300 percent and the demand from around the world just keeps growing. Thousands of women are buying her bras online, and they’re sold in specialty boutiques here in the U.S. and even Ireland!
“I’m not just selling a bra; I’m selling confidence, beauty, strength, and anything else that makes you feel good about yourself.” said Donofree.
“It’s just incredible,” Rachel Toomey, a breast cancer survivor, said. “I have a hard time finding words because it’s just amazing.”
Donofree uses real-life breast cancer survivors as models for each design she makes.
“The confidence that I felt after participating truly was life-changing,” said Sandi Morina, a breast cancer survivor.
AnaOno Intimates is a growing global business changing one life at a time.
Donofree plans to expand. She plans to start selling bathing suits and loungewear next year. Five percent of all AnaOno’s sales go to breast cancer foundations. If you’d like more information about AnaOno, check out the website at www.anaono.com/.