LympheDIVAs loses founder & president

In November of 2006, while working for www.thecancerblog.com I wrote a post about a great product invented for trendy women with lymphedema. Sadly, the founder & president Rachel has passed away from a recurrence of breast cancer.

I did not know Rachel, but I think I met her and spoke to her briefly at her booth at the YSC conference last year.

After my lymph node surgery and rads to the armpit I did not have signs of lymphedema, but many of my young breast cancer friends have had to deal with this horrible side effect. When I first heard of LympheDivas I thought it was an amazing idea. Us young gals do get breast cancer and want to look cute & fashionable! Her invention was a way to integrate form & fashion.

The following is my post on the cancer blog and this is her personal website and intimate look at her life living with metastatic breast cancer. She was, and is, an inspirational woman.

Lymphedema is a chronic condition that causes excess fluid to collect in tissue and produce swelling. In breast cancer survivors the swelling can occur in the arm or hand because the lymphatic system has been compromised by surgery or radiation. Its an unattractive and painful reminder of having breast cancer that never goes away.

Robin Miller, 23, and Rachel Levin, 36, are young breast cancer survivors that developed lymphedema after their breast cancer treatment. They were required to wear an uncomfortable, beige orthopedic-looking sleeve. They decided that there had to be a better solution for the look and feel of the sleeves they would have to wear. They approached Kristin Dudley, a Drexel fashion design graduate, with the idea of creating fashionable compression garments that would bring together form and function.

These three friends have made it their mission to help breast cancer survivors manage their lymphedema in a fashionable way, and inspire them to feel confident and attractive with their company called LympheDIVAs. The armsleeves are made of high-tech fibers and come in fashionable colors and designs.

"The look and style of the sleeves has remained the same for over 30 years" said Rachel Levin. "There is absolutely no reason it can't look stylish and still be an effective medical device"