RICHMOND, Va. -- Two Richmond friends have created a product to help women recovering from breast surgeries.
Driving to the UPS store to mail packages now takes up a big chunk of Michelle Logan’s week.
“Amazon has a tight window on the time frame," Logan said. "Once an order comes through, they like it to be sent immediately.”
Logan shipped off a box of comfort an Amazon customer that is her labor of love.
“First, we looked for a product to help the problem. So many women had mastectomies, but we couldn't find it,” Logan explained.
Marilyn Collins and Michelle Logan.
As a result, Michelle and her friend, Marilyn Collins, created TaTa Topper to help women recovering from breast surgeries when the pair bonded during a tough time.
Marilyn was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and Michelle had seven surgeries and complications from a double mastectomy.
“In my sleep, I was turning over," Logan said. "Unfortunately, that was opening the incision. It made my skin hard to heal.”
That’s when the two women began to brainstorm.
"After I had complications, she's the one that said, 'Enough is enough. There has to be a solution,'” Logan remembered.
TaTa Topper and Tummy Topper
The fix is the TaTa Topper: a soft mattress with openings that is wide enough that nothing touches the breast area.
“If it comforts one woman, that’s all we want. If it comforts thousands, that's all we want ,” Logan said.
Being an advocate for women with breast cancer is familiar territory for Michelle. She has volunteered and chaired Massey Cancer Center's annual luncheon.
Though she has had the surgery, Michelle has never had the cancer.
“I never had breast cancer, but the fear of cancer is definitely ever present,” Logan said.
Michelle's grandmother died of breast cancer and when Michelle was 9 years old, both her mother and aunt battled breast cancer the same time.
The two sisters would help start the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation and The Breast Cancer Coalition. Those two groups have had a big impact on legislation -- and on a young Michelle.
“I started watching the evolution, starting from women who couldn't say the word breast cancer in public ,” Logan said.
Logan family photo.
As the years passed, the breast cancer conversation has no filters, which is evident in the names of Michelle’s two products.
“It just seemed very descriptive that this is a mattress topper. One for your tatas, one for your tummy,” Logan explained.
The Tummy Topper is a mattress topper that allows pregnant women to sleep comfortably.
The TaTa Topper has been on the market for two years and is sold on Amazon for $189.
Reba Hollingsworth and Stephanie Rochon
On the 6th of the month, CBS 6 and VCU Massey Cancer Center remind women to contact their buddy to remind them to conduct a monthly breast self-exam. If it is time, you should also schedule an annual clinical breast exam and mammogram, which are key to early detection.
