Between brushing wigs and organizing bras, Tara Torchia is making sure her products look just right. She knows the importance they will have for the next woman who tries them on.
“I think that I help people every single day,” Torchia said.
Torchia owns The Unexpected Gift, a store that sells products for women battling cancer. She carries mastectomy bras, breast forms, wigs, bamboo hats and local skincare products.
“There’s a lot of emotion and we have a lot of tears but I think everyone normally leaves here pretty happy,” Torchia said.
The Unexpected Gift was born after Torchia’s personal experience with breast cancer.
“I had a complete mastectomy and reconstruction, then there was lymph node involvement so the doctors decided I’d have six rounds of chemotherapy and 25 rounds radiation,” Torchia said.
She finished treatment in 2013 then decided to make a career change.
“It is really difficult to look for things or research things after you hear the words ‘you have cancer,'” Torchia said. “It’s really hard to process any of it. So having everything in one location made sense so that’s why I opened the store.”
Torchia sees clients who range in age from their 20s to their 80s.
The Canadian Cancer Society says products like what Torchia sells help people feel like themselves while going through treatment.
“Find that sense of normalcy again and that self-confidence, especially now during the holidays,” Jennifer Fabris, eastern lodge director with the Canadian Cancer Society, said.
While Torchia has been cancer-free for a decade now, still clearly remembers how difficult that journey was. This makes it easy to relate to her customers.
“I make sure they realize that it was my experience and theirs could be completely different but a lot of people just want that knowledge and comfort that you will get through it. There will be bad days and good days but you do get through it,” Torchia said.
Whenever Torchia wraps another purchase, she knows it’s more than just another product heading out the door. Hope, empathy and courage are included in every bag.
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