Who is the woman who invented clothes for chemotherapy treatment?

Alexia Baron, who was diagnosed with the disease in March 2020, underwent a double mastectomy and 18 sessions of chemotherapy. Having struggled to find comfortable clothing during her own treatment, Baron founded a company that manufactures tracksuits with zippers, pockets, and perforations that make insertion of the chemotherapy port easier and more comfortable.

A port is a small implant with a thin silicone tube that is attached to a vein for needle-free chemotherapy treatment. The Porto & Bello brand also manufactures garments for patients who need IV therapy or a long, thin tube PIC inserted intravenously into the arm.

Alexia Baron founded her brand after a port was placed on her left chest. “I remember my nurse asked me to name my port, so I named it Portobello. I know it sounds silly, but it took some of the tension out of the treatment,” the Baron said.

"I was about to start treatment and a port was placed on my left chest. I knew that meant I had to have access to my chest at all times."

Alexia Baron said that when she first started treatment, she had her shirt wrapped around her neck and was sitting with her chest exposed. "I also had an ice cap on my head and I was freezing. We looked everywhere for clothes that would make me more comfortable, but we couldn't find anything," said the Baron.

"You lose a lot of yourself during cancer treatment, and I just wanted to feel a little more like myself."

Stating that she was excited to create this clothing brand, Baron said that "we cannot treat people who have cancer as patients". "They need to be seen as human beings. They should feel comfortable going from treatment to work, picking up their kids, or getting on the bus, not like a scientific experiment," Baron said.

Since its launch in April this year, Porto & Bello has served a wide variety of customers, including those receiving treatment for kidney dialysis, Crohn's disease and sepsis. The brand currently sells a range of tracksuits in pink, gray, and black.

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