Certified Mastectomy Fitter Opens in Anchorage

Breast cancer survivors in Alaska now have easier access to a certified mastectomy fitter, who provides garments and accessories to restore body shape. The Anchorage branch of Allies, a boutique based in Bellingham, Washington, is inviting appointments during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Alaska or Bust

Laura DeWitt, a certified mastectomy fitter since 2014, opened Allies in Anchorage in 2021. She discovered a need for her services a few years ago after an Alaskan visited her Bellingham shop. Through that appointment, DeWitt learned that breast cancer survivors in Alaska did not have appropriate access to certified mastectomy fitters and the products they provide, such as breast forms and pocket bras.

“That got me thinking about ways that I could serve the women of Alaska,” Dewitt says.

Dewitt is a breast cancer survivor herself. “My mom was diagnosed at 42,” she says. “My aunt was diagnosed at 42, and so was I.”

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, DeWitt searched for mastectomy supplies in her community but could not find what she was looking for. It was hard to find local providers trained to conduct breast form fittings, and post-surgery breast supplies were offered in a setting that was neither private nor personalized.

“In certain regions, women have to travel for hours to access a fit specialist,” DeWitt says, “or they have to shop for breast supplies alongside mobility devices like wheelchairs and walkers.”

That did not sit well with DeWitt, so she decided to provide a more personalized, sophisticated approach to helping fellow breast cancer survivors. Through her specialty boutique, she provides women with nonsurgical products—breast forms and pocket bras—that return symmetry after mastectomy, lumpectomy, and reconstruction procedures.