A LINGERIE and swimwear fayre at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan will show women affected by breast cancer surgery that they don’t have to settle for dowdy underwear and swimwear.

The event, taking place on December 12, between 6-8pm, in corridor E of the hospital, is bringing in suppliers of lingerie and swimwear, designed to show style doesn’t have to be sacrificed when choosing post-surgery underwear and beachwear.

Danielle Robinson, 37, from Rhyl, is supporting the fayre, having been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer herself.

Since her diagnosis, she has been helping others through charity work with Make2ndscount and Breast Cancer Now, and also hosts a tea and chat group in Rhyl, for other women with secondary breast cancer.

“I didn't realise the impact until after the surgery,” said Danielle.

“I do think with the psychological side of how much it actually affects you - with regards to intimacy, how you look, how clothes fit you, how underwear fits you, the change in the styles that you have to wear - your general confidence just plummets.”

After her mastectomy, Danielle said, she remembered trying on one bra in a retail outlet, which “didn’t feel womanly or feminine at all”.

She said: “It was just this white thing. I asked: ‘Is that all you've got?’ The lady said: ‘Yeah, I haven't got anything else’. I thought: ‘Oh my God’.

“I understand you need certain types of bra immediately after the surgery but, six weeks after surgery, I booked a fitting at the hospital.

“The styles the lady brought out - I didn't realise they existed. She brought out things that were really nice but generally it's just horrendous, the choice that's available to women after surgery.”

Danielle said she will be going to the fayre and is spreading the word about it as much as she can.

She believes it will appeal to a lot of women who have been through breast cancer surgery, plus chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

“Chemo can strip women’s hair, their eyebrows, their eyelashes,” Danielle added.

“Women can have a mastectomy or a lumpectomy, or a double mastectomy. You can feel literally like there's nothing left of you.

“It strips you completely of your confidence and you just to have that support afterwards, to find that there are things available afterwards, that there is nice underwear that we can wear. There is good swimwear at affordable prices.

“I found the options the lady who fitted me at Glan Clwyd gave me were absolutely fantastic.”

Breast care assistant practitioner Lindsey Williams is the event’s organiser.

She said: “Breast cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers in the UK. Many women affected by the disease need surgery, be it a mastectomy or lumpectomy.

“It’s really important, post-operatively, to help women not only recover from the physical but also the psychological effects of these surgeries.

“As the visible scars heal, being able to look and feel nice and retain their sense of femininity can help that psychological healing process.

“We want to celebrate these women and show them there are choices out there in what they can wear.

“More and more companies are realising these ladies want choice and appropriate garments designed for their bodies.

“While we advise and help them post-operatively, we want all women who’ve been through breast cancer surgery to understand there is lingerie and swimwear out there which caters specifically for them.”

Stockists at the fayre will include Nicola Jane, Anita, Trulife and Womanzone.

In the last 12-month period assessed, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has treated 772 breast cancers, of which 571 had surgery as their first treatment.