Abreast cancer diagnosismarks the start of a long, emotional journey.
The treatment process is oftentimes grueling and exhausting.
And then the recovery process comes with its own unique set of challenges.
In 2010, Michelle Kolath-Arbel was diagnosed withbreast cancer.
Afterchemotherapyand a one-sided mastectomy later that year, she was cancer free.
She also had breast reconstruction surgery, and had the remaining healthy breast lifted to match.
But the surgery still left her feeling completely uncomfortable in her own body.
The magazine used little stars to cover the nipples.
For those three months, I showered in the dark.
I couldnt look at myself, she says.
Thats when she decided she had to findanother way to fix this.
First, she tried some of the fake nipples already out there marketed to breast cancer survivors.
But they just made me look more ridiculous than I already felt, she says.
The options werent very personalized, for a body part that varies so much person-to-person.
The material was also hard and plastic.
I didnt want to feel more ridiculous than I already felt.
I wanted it to be as close to looking and feeling like my skin as it could.
Eventually I realized I had to learn to do it myself, she says.
So she went to a craft store, and started playing with mixes and molds.
She studied up on silicone prosthesis making.
Kolath-Arbel, a former marketing director, now works full time to make and sellPink Perfectprosthetic adhesive nipples.
The prosthetics are completely customized and handmade to order.
They mail back the mold, along with pictures and color selections from a color chart.
Kolath-Arbel and her team then craft a prosthetic nippleor multiple, depending on the orderto match.
The nipples come with adhesive, and each tool is recommended for two weeks of use.
The liquid adhesive holds up in water, so you could shower and swim without worrying.
At first, Pink Perfect was only sold locally in Israel, where Kolath-Arbel is based.
Now, she ships globally and has customers from around the world.
When you go through something bad in your life, you ask why.
I asked so many questions.
And it hit me that this is my destiny, she says.
I believe I was born to go through this experience so you can help others.
