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When contending with cancer, many people make despair an infinite element of their finite existence. Well aware of gloom’s sway among affected individuals and their loved ones, Dana Donofree favors front-loading positive thoughts and behaviors and is promoting such selections by overseeing AnaOno Intimates LLC, which soon will sell undergarments for courageous breast cancer survivors like herself.
“Every woman has her journey, and some of those travels involve dealing with disease,” the 31-year-old designer said Monday from her home on the 1000 block of South Fairhill Street. “There definitely is a sad and dark side in fighting cancer, but there should also be happiness and light.”
The Queen Village resident has grappled with the negative components for three years yet has used their counterparts to engender a role as an advocate, especially for younger women. With her products set to debut by year’s end, she is encouraging her peers to adopt fearless mentalities, even naming bras after female warriors.
“We really are fighters and we’re capable of displaying so much strength,” the entrepreneur said of the battle to preserve dignity and stress hope. “We have to come to grips with our identity and realize there’s as much beauty in who we have become as in who we were before.”
Donofree had been working on her line before Victoria’s Secret announced in May that it would not manufacture mastectomy bras. Seeking to set patients at ease, she intensified her enthusiasm not only as a creator but as a supporter of acquiring comfort and confidence. Once potential strangers, those blessings have found her in abundance and have aligned her with ladies who covet them, too, with 2010 serving as her pivotal year. A highly health-conscious figure, Donofree received her cancer diagnosis the day before her 28th birthday. With her wedding planned for three months later, she inquired about tending to the matter immediately to prevent a postponement yet elected to side with science and work to prolong her vigor.
“It struck me as a bit surreal,” she said of learning of her affliction, which she confronted by undergoing a bilateral mastectomy, reconstructive surgery and chemotherapy. “I’d had an exam only two months prior, but I believe everything happens for a reason. It’s understanding what that is or could be that motivates me.”
Donofree developed her designing disposition as an Ohio youngster eager to access her mother’s and grandmother’s knowledge. She became a Georgia belle by matriculating at the Savannah College of Art and Design and began to round out her odyssey by securing employment with New York City-based KaufmanFranco, a notable fashion entity for whom she performed product development and design work.
“It’s rare but great when people fall into something they love, and I’m one of the fortunate ones,” Donofree said. “I felt I would one day have my own line, but my focus wasn’t there all the time. It’s maybe a bit weird that I have it now.”
Desiring distinction, she found herself applying her expertise for a company in Colorado, her then-fiance’s home state. Continuing to work to avoid bouts with pity as she received treatment and interacted with physicians and specialists, she sustained her energy and resolve and wed Paul Donofree two years ago, with relocation to Philadelphia occurring shortly afterward.
“He’s just been super supportive and has put up with all my craziness,” Donofree said of her mate, whom she included among those who have “moved the world” to assist her. “It’s been so enriching to have his love.”
Though she could count on his support, she could not say the same about her wardrobe. Realizing she belongs to a sorority of similar comfort seekers, she has unleashed her creativity to the point that she is striving to affiliate herself with other voices for raised awareness and has found such a companion in California-based photographer and fellow fighter Tracy Birdsell.
“With my bras, I’m looking to satisfy very basic needs,” Donofree said of the marketed apparel, which she will augment through constructing a collection. “Aside from looking good, though, women want to feel good, so that’s one of the reasons I’m fortunate to know Tracy.”
Birdsell, who helms Love, Twelve on the West Coast, enlisted her friend for a photo shoot that will result in Donofree’s appearance in next year’s 1940s-themed pin-up calendar.
“I don’t know which month I’m going to be, but that’s inconsequential,” Donofree said, adding she and Birdsell are seeking gallery space to display the pictures in October. “What my involvement highlights is that I feel strong and look forward to finding more women like me. Knowing I can have a say in boosting their confidence humbles me.”
During her initial attempts to handle her situation, Donofree admitted she succumbed to the woe that she now advises against yet came to balance her former self with her new presence. Seeking and cherishing positivity have helped her to blossom into a consummate believer in meshing external assistance with one’s own supply of tenacity.
“I try to remain as stress-free as possible because that’s as crucial to my growth as meeting other warriors,” she said.
Mentally strong, she continues to pursue being medically so, too. As a young woman who has faced a tireless foe, she manages her physical restrictions yet never lets them define her.
“We have to take stock of our options,” she said. “For me, that means feeling comfortable with who I am and wishing the same for others.”
For more information visit, anaono.com.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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