Breast cancer survivors across the region will no longer have to travel far to feel beautiful.
Cherry Blossom Intimates, the first medical custom prosthetics and lingerie store for women with breast cancer within the D.C. area, is set to open a location in Prince George’s County.
Jasmine Jones, chief operating officer for Cherry Blossom Intimates and former Miss Black D.C., said the store will not only help those with breast cancer but women all over.
“I lost my grandmother to breast cancer my sophomore year in college,” Jones said. “I remember her having to go and shop for prosthetic pieces that didn’t properly fit and only came in one color while store employees stuffed her behind a curtain to try them on.
“It got to the point where, after a while, my grandmother just stopped wearing them all together,” she said. “They didn’t fit or make her feel beautiful. I wanted to do something to change that, something that would allow all women going through this same journey to be able to do it with dignity and comfort, and that’s what Cherry Blossom Intimates is all about.”
To better accommodate women of all ethnic backgrounds, the store will offer each client chest wall graphs in order to mimic natural breast form for prosthetics, nude nipple coverings and even petite to plus-size lingerie in all shapes, sizes and skin tones, which Jones says will make women feel their most beautiful.
“When Dr. Regina Hampton, the originator of Cherry Blossom Intimates and one of the founders of southeast D.C.’s Breast Care for Washington, came up with this vision, I was completely on board,” Jones said. “She took so much pride in her work, from just understanding the female body to understanding how important it is to feel beautiful.”
Hampton, a Howard University alumna, has been practicing in her profession for over 10 years and is one of the few breast care surgeons in Prince George’s County.
“Being able to help other people is so important and it makes you feel so good,” Hampton said. “I just want to show women that they are all beautiful, no matter the package, and make them believe it. I am so excited for Cherry Blossom Intimates.”
The facility plans to have medical in-house billing for all types of insurance for all products and will also provide an alternative to those without coverage.
A Cherry Blossom Intimates storefront has already been selected for Woodmore Towne Centre in Glenarden, Maryland, with plans to have the groundbreaking ceremony during D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival next spring.
“The Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual District event,” Jones said “We are both Washingtonians, so what better way to open our doors and represent the District and its people?”