The diagnosis of breast cancer can change a woman’s life in an instant, and every woman fights with courage, despair, and hope. In October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, HANRO supports the Pink Ribbon campaign globally, helping millions of women who are either battling cancer or have conquered it.

Behind these numbers and campaigns are real women with real stories. One of these women is Ila Wood, Senior Vice President of Sales at HANRO USA.

Ila shares a memory of a sunny day in May, a family barbecue, and a moment of lightheartedness. But a small spot on her shirt, which she initially thought was ketchup, turned out to be something far more alarming. It was blood. A few weeks later, she was diagnosed with DCIS, an early form of breast cancer. “I was 38 years old, and just five months earlier, I had my first, completely normal mammogram. “Subsequent tests later revealed an additional mass and my cancer was elevated to invasive breast cancer.”

What followed was a nightmare: surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy. Ila was faced with the toughest decision of her life—should she have a unilateral mastectomy (breast removal) or a bilateral one to minimize the risk for good? “At the time, my children were only seven and nine years old,” she recalls. “I would have done anything to make sure I stayed part of their lives for a long time.” Ila chose a double mastectomy. She wanted to fight—not just for herself but for her children.

The fight was grueling. Chemotherapy took away what she described as her “trademark”—her thick red hair. “When my hair fell out, I felt like I had lost a part of my identity.” Yet every morning, she got up, put on her wig and false eyelashes, and commuted to New York, where she worked as a lingerie sales director—a deeply ironic challenge as she struggled with her changing body image.

After many months of radiation and chemotherapy, the day finally came: Ila got to ring the famous bell, a symbol of victory over cancer. The sound of that bell marked the end of a long, painful journey and the beginning of a new chapter.

Today, after recently completing 10 years of additional hormone suppressant therapy, Ila is cancer-free. She wears HANRO's 'Touch Feeling' Padded Crop Top, which, thanks to its soft material and lack of closures, is ideal for women with sensitive skin after surgery. The bra can be worn with removable pads or prostheses, making it especially comfortable and versatile. Ila is proud to work for HANRO and sell products that have helped people feel good in their own skin for 140 years.