|
|
 |
|
||
| Do
you ever catch yourself asking in your adult life just what it is you
want to be when you grow up? It seems for many of us, even those who
know without a doubt from a young age what it is they want to be, that
the new things we learn and experience along the way along with the challenges
and passions that evolve from those experiences, can make us stop and
reevaluate the answer to that question. Deb Bream, owner of Fittings Unlimited in Urbandale, found herself reevaluating her professional career path after she pursued and lived her life’s passion of helping others as a surgical nurse for 17 years. While working at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City she learned a lot about the care patients needed before, during, and after surgery. She loved working with them one-on-one to help them medically and emotionally through the procedure and their recovery, she says. After a while things changed for Deb, both personally and professionally. Things changed at the hospital. She was no longer able to work one-on-one with her patients. Things changed within her family unit. She went through the emotions, challenges, highs, lows, and lessons learned in support of two sisters struck with cancer. One sister was diagnosed at age 17 with Hodgkins Disease. Through it all she lived her life fully in her mother’s words, “teaching them all how to live” for another 15 years. Deb’s other sister had a bilateral mastectomy, and she continues today to devote much of her time to helping others who find themselves facing a similar challenge. Deb was ready to make a change, to rekindle the passion she once knew as a surgical nurse. She decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps. It was Deb’s mom, Betty, who opened the first Fittings Unlimited in 1990 in Cedar Rapids, not far from their hometown. “I grew to love mom’s business,” Deb says. Her mom’s boutique opened as an alternative to the durable medical equipment stores, and was a welcome relief for many women. They no longer had to walk past commodes, wheelchairs, and other equipment to get fitted for personal items such as bras. Fittings Unlimited opened with the mission of being “dedicated to helping you back to a better life.” They’ve lived that mission to its fullest, offering women a professional but warm and inviting environment, choices, opportunity, advocacy, and education, Deb says. While working with her mom for four years, she learned how to do measurements and fittings and all other aspects of the business. Then with encouragement from her family, Deb took the leap and opened her own store in Des Moines in 1999. Deb operates her store using the same philosophy and heart that has been the guiding light for her mom. There are many aspects about the services provided at Fittings Unlimited that differentiate it from its competitors. “Deb has a huge heart,” says Kerri Foster, office manager. “She’ll put aside other things to help the clients. She’ll even do house calls. She’ll do measurements, fittings, deliver compression socks, and even help put them on the first time. It’s all about the client and doing whatever she can to help.” At Fittings Unlimited, appointments are not required. “We always have a fitter here and we do not charge a fitting fee,” Deb says. “So anyone can walk in at anytime and expect to get measured and fitted.” The store’s boutique environment offers couches, reading materials, plants, a TV, and VCR. It can be a great area for customers to chat in or for a husband to wait as his wife is being fitted. You also may enjoy browsing the gift items, inspirational books, candles, and plaques with uplifting sayings on them. You’ll find a variety of pink ribbon gifts as well as general hard-to-fit bra’s (sizes 32AA to 52K). And there is a broad selection of swimsuits. Deb is proud of the store’s large selection of mastectomy bras and prostheses options. You may want to check out the display table in the front of the store where you can actually see and feel the difference in prostheses. Deb is also able to make molds for custom orders. Deb recognizes how important it is for clients to experience their new bra as they go about their everyday activity so she offers a seven-day return policy on her mastectomy bras, she says. “ We also have one of the largest varieties of compression socks and devices and aids to help get them on,” says Deb. Clients who come in for a compression fitting and are suffering from lymphedema (an accumulation of lymphatic fluid that causes swelling in the arms and legs) or edema can experience a significant shift in size after their initial 24-hour treatment. Deb wants to be sure she gets the right fit for the patient so she takes extra time and care with them right away, she says. Dana Swim and Roxie Woods are the other certified fitters for both mastectomy bras and compression garments. Dana is a mastectomy patient herself, which has been a big plus for many of the clients she serves. Kerri knows the insurance business, and she goes the extra mile to research and track down information that could help turn a decision around in favor of the client, Deb says. I think it’s easy to sense the dedication Deb’s team feels toward their clients and the work they do on their behalf. “You’ve got to be in this business because you love it and want to help the patients,” says Deb. “It can be long hours and heartbreaking stories, but in the end it’s wonderful. When you see a client go out of the store with her head up, shoulders back, and a bounce in their step, that’s what it’s all about!” Fittings Unlimited is located in Deerfield Crossing at 2793 100th St. They are open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Fittings Unlimited |
||
|
