Alala: Bosom Buddies
Posted on: Monday, 9 July 2007, 03:39 CDT
By Hartvigsen, Kristine
Peels of feminine laughter erupt from perhaps the unlikeliest place in the USC Columbia Technology Incubator. After all, this is where women who have survived breast cancer and serious reproductive diseases are counseled and fitted for such things as breast or cranial prosthetics and mastectomy bras. But you won't get the expected solemn, stiff-upper-lip demeanor from survivor entrepreneurs Sherry Norris and Kim Neel of Alala LLC. Instead, you'll get brand-new sisters for life who embrace over-the-top humor that includes quips about the challenges of "free-boobing it."
Founded in August 2006, the "unique boutique" start-up business "Alala" is named for a war cry adopted from Greek mythology.
All giggling aside, Norris and Neel indeed are warriors for the women they serve, women recovering from cancer surgery, undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, coping with lymphedema, or simply contemplating their care options. Their role is largely one of education, and they are determined that women understand their rights in what can be a cold, impersonal maze of conflicting medical opinion and complicated health insurance policy.
"One of the things that really surprises me is that, even since the passage of the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 (WHCRA), most people don't know that their insurance will cover mastectomy bras for women," Norris said. "It's the one time in your entire life when your insurance will pay for you to get a new bra! That is what makes us such great patient advocates. We have been there. We know how to file the insurance."
In addition to support, consultation, and filing insurance, the ladies from Alala sell breast prosthetics, mastectomy bras, wigs, compression garments, skin care products, and even specialized swimsuits and lingerie.
Norris says the average patient visit exceeds two hours because "they need to talk ... "
"... in a non-threatening environment," finishes Neel.
"The way we treat people, we don't hurry them in and out," Norris said. "We get to know our clients before we sell them anything."
Chance Encounter
Both active volunteers and fund-raisers with organizations including Zonta and Girl Scouts, Neel and Norris met when both were staffing a Girl Scout Day Camp.
"Sherry came up and tried to manage me," Neel recalled. "She had a stapler, and so she was in charge."
But the two strong-willed, fun-loving women established an immediate rapport.
"I met Kim through the camp," Norris said. "The following year, she got breast cancer."
As Norris supported Neel through her healing, they found frustration and amusement - in bra shopping.
"Trying to find her a bra that fit was difficult," Norris said, laughing. "She was too big-chested!"
That challenge alone fed the women's desire to fill an unmet need.
"My first post-surgical bra did not work for me," Neel said. "They sold me a product that didn't fit. Here I was paying $50 for something that I couldn't wear! And they didn't file my insurance correctly, so I had to pay for it myself. Now I know better."
Soon after that, both women traveled to Atlanta to receive training to become Certified Mastectomy Fitters. Through that process, they also observed discrepancies in industry accommodation for a diversity of clientele, including the availability of tawny breast forms for black women.
"There are so many African-American women walking around with white boobs! Sometimes I just get on my high horse about it," she exclaimed.
Another pet peeve is limitations imposed by insurance policy provisions.
"They say patients have to stay 'in network,' but there might be nothing 'in network' to serve them," Norris said. "That really gets my blood boiling."
After Norris and Neel have been on the phone with insurance companies and sounded off, the companies have been known to call back and apologize.
"We don't even mess with anyone in customer service anymore," Neel said. "We call the director."
"We don't let patients do it on their own," Norris added.
Blazing Trails
Before partnering with small business veteran Norris, Neel had spent more than two decades working in the corporate world at Pirelli Cables and Systems. She also brought more than four years' experience in the insurance industry to her role at Alala.
Recovery from cancer is expensive, and securing reimbursement for medical expenses through the insurance industry can be daunting.
"My radiation bill alone was $50,000," Neel said. "We fight to have insurance coverage for our clients. We are advocates for the cause."
That's no understatement. Since March, Alala has been working with the Medicare program in South Carolina to improve coverage for lymphedema, an often permanent, sometimes debilitating, but treatable condition caused when removed lymph nodes (common casualties of cancer surgery) interrupt the body's usual flushing of lymph fluid removing waste substances from the body. in the absence of regulating nodes, proteins and tissue build up between the cells, causing pronounced swelling in the affected extremities. Compression garments, including special bandages, stockings, and sleeves, have proven effective in moderating lymphedema's impact.
"You're never out of the woods with lymphedema," Norris said. "You can be a 20-year survivor and still get lymphedema. ... Medicaid covers lymphedema sleeves, but Medicare does not. We are working on changing the coding for Medicare.
"I get so frustrated for our patients who have lymphedema because most insurance companies don't cover it. They consider it cosmetic. So I called the Medicare ombudsman and spoke with her about the disservice to these women with lymphedema. I told her, 'They are suffering. Lymphedema could cause death if it's not treated properly. This is ridiculous that you are not covering this.' And she said, 'you are right. You need to get information to me, and I will go to the Medical director and head this up to get this changed.' "
The Masculine Mystique?
Norris and Neel have found that their counseling affects more than their female patients.
"Some support groups we speak to," Norris explained, "the men look at us like they're thinking, 'who are these two broads?' "
"The women wanted to talk about their experience," Neel continued. "The men just stood there with this shell-shocked look on their faces. Some of them may have to learn to cook for the first time, pay the bills, car pool. But that is how they can help their wives."
"We don't give men enough credit to stand up for us," Norris added. "There is a new breed of men, and they are stepping up to the plate."
"They are comfortable in their skin," Neel said. "Men (in these cases) face a sort of role reversal. They become the primary caretakers, the mom and dad to the kids. They have to run the household in addition to their job. That is huge. ... Truth be told, my husband is a better housekeeper than I am."
"Finding out I had cancer would be the easy part for me," Norris said. "The hard part for me would be lying in the bed with my husband and wondering how he would look at me. How do you have sex again?"
That's one reason Alala offers "I'm Healthy and Sexy" seminars. Women and their partners can achieve normalcy in their self-image and their sexuality after cancer surgery.
"There are healthy things you can do to change your mindset," Neel said.
"I see it (a man's response to a woman cancer survivor) as an ice- breaker or a deal-breaker. And I think that is one of the things that strengthened our marriage, the way my husband was there for me."
House Calls or 'Blouse Calls'
Norris and Neel say that what sets them apart from their competitors is empathy, flexible accessibility; and faceto-face customer service. If you can't come to Alala, Alala will come to you.
"We are a one-stop shop. And we do home fittings," Neel said. "Either we will go to your home, or, if you can't make it to us during the week, we will meet you here during the weekend, whatever works best for the patient."
"When you are going through chemotherapy or radiation, you don't know when you will have a good day," Norris said. "When you have a good day, no matter what time it is, you just call us. ... We are not just a retail shop. We are a support system for women."
Copyright South Carolina Business Journal May 01, 2007
(c) 2007 South Carolina Business Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: South Carolina Business Journal
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds