Bra art by artist Sarah Simmons for a previous Bust Breast Cancer event. For more bra art, scroll down. All bra art photos by Stephanie Landry
Julie Heuduck remembers listening to a speaker share her breast cancer diagnosis at the Bust Breast Cancer event in 2012 and thinking, “That will never happen to me.”
“I was healthy. I had no family history. I had small breasts,” she says. But only three months later, she started feeling chest pains. And then she felt a lump.
Heuduck was a nursing student at the time. She had no health insurance. But she’d heard about the Woman’s Hospital Mobile Mammography Coach during the event, which offers mammograms to visitors, regardless of health insurance coverage, all over the state.
When the truck was parked in Mid City, she visited. Her worst fears were confirmed: She had breast cancer. She broke down in tears, thinking about how her life was about to change, wondering how she could even afford care.
But the doctors at Woman’s Hospital told her that with early detection and treatment, more than 93% of breast cancer cases can be cured. The hospital helped her get financial assistance for chemotherapy, care and a mastectomy. Two and half years later, she is doing well.
Models dance down the runway at the 2014 Bust Breast Cancer event
It’s a story that inspires Bust Breast Cancer’s creator, Heather Kleinpeter. She dreamt up the event in 2012, after she had her own breast cancer scare.
Kleinpeter, a real estate agent who formerly owned a lingerie boutique, came up with the idea to do a fashion show fundraiser where breast cancer survivors and models would strut down the runway wearing mixed-media bras hand-made by Baton Rouge artists. The bras would be decorated using paint, fabric, jewelry, metal and glass.
Kleinpeter was the sole person on the event-planning committee for the first event in 2012, and she put everything she had into the event. Her hard work paid off—attendance and community interest has grown exponentially each year since. This go-around, she will be backed by a planning committee of 52 people.
This year’s Sept. 24 event will show off bra art from 40 artists, a chef’s showcase featuring specialty cocktails and dishes from 14 chefs and a silent auction. Organizers expect 800-1,000 guests at the event. So many people want to model or design a bra for the event that there’s a wait list to get involved.
This year, 100% of the event’s proceeds will go toward the Mobile Mammography Coach. Woman’s Hospital plans to refurbish its current coach and purchase a new, larger coach with better technology. Having two coaches will allow the hospital to cover more territory on a daily basis and screen more women.
The event’s organizers hope to educate attendees that breast cancer can happen to anyone—regardless of age or gender.
Busts at last year’s event
“The first year, our speakers were all under 35 when they got diagnosed,” Kleinpeter says. With statistics such as one in eight women developing breast cancer, she adds, “it’s going to impact every single person in the room at some point.”
While breast cancer is a heavy topic, Kleinpeter and her committee don’t let that get in the way of making the event vibrant and fun. When women walk into this year’s event, one of the first things they’ll see is a 10-foot papier-mâché bra sculpture. Guests can sign it in honor of loved ones who have lost their lives to breast cancer. The bra-art models will dance down the runway, smiling from ear to ear. After the show, there will be an award ceremony for the artists, offering recognitions such as “Breast in Show” and “Most Mammorable.” The energy in the room is uplifting. It’s a classic making-lemonade-out-lemons scenario—even when you’re dealt terrible circumstances, life keeps moving. And that’s something that Heuduck can relate to.
“Breast cancer changed my life in the sense that now, I live for today,” she says. womans.org/bbc
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Sept. 24
Time: 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Preview party: 6 p.m.-7 p.m. A limited number of tickets will provide early access to auction items and the chef’s showcase. Must purchase by Sept. 14 or until sell out.
Location: L’Auberge Casino & Hotel
Ticket prices: $60 online; $75 at the door; $90 for preview party
