To look at Judy Porter, you would never know. Middle-aged, a rose in full bloom and a sense of peace that radiates from her presence, she has survived where others have not. Porter is a three-time cancer survivor. Her journey has been a long and arduous one that has encompassed the best years of her life. Like many women who faced the same challenges, Porter found that there weren’t sufficient supports for women who needed prosthetics, clothes, or wigs to help women through the treatments and the changes that their bodies were experiencing due to medical procedures they endured to preserve their lives.
“I opened the store due to the need of it,” Porter said. She is referring to Inspirational Hearts, located at 84 Charing Cross St., the store she opened in November 2008. “I found out through my journey—and going to treatments—that there wasn’t one store that a person could go to and get everything they needed going through the cancer journey,” Porter said. Inspirational Hearts became a haven for cancer patients seeking wigs, fashionable headwear, breast prosthetics, bras, swim wear and natural skin care products. When you enter the store, there is a soothing ambiance, with the décor coloured in a soft pink hue. Porter advised that this was by design as was another element she incorporated into her store floor layout. She had the change rooms expanded to accommodate more than one person because cancer patients are almost always “accompanied by someone close to them in support of them on their journey.” Porter told BusinessLink that she has customers coming from all around the Golden Horseshoe, part of that could be attributed to the fact that she exists in a vacuum and part it comes from the caring attitude that she displays to customers. As a survivor, Porter represents hope to all who enter her premises. They receive encouragement and solace in their hour of need and the store is a sanctuary for cancer patients. Porter said she has always been a “caring” field of work that started with her work at the Brantwood Residential Centre where she worked as a developmental disability worker. Over the course of the last couple of years, Porter has spoken to a number of community groups as an inspirational speaker and she raised money for the Cancer Society. She stressed that she wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. “When I was diagnosed, the thing that I remembered most was everybody in my neighbourhood helped out,” the married mother of three said. That support led her to a business model that might not make her rich, but certainly has all the trappings of golden heart. She has a great many quality products in inventory that she purposely list at inexpensive prices so “more people can receive the benefit of the products.” “The store is not just for women. I get a lot of men come in for counsel and gift purchases for spouses who are on the cancer journey,” she said. Porter wanted to advise the community that she has a couple of fundraising events slated for this summer, and she would like to encourage all who can to sponsor her in the Relay for Life conducted under the auspices of the local Cancer Society in Burford this year. Porter is also hosting the first annual Inspirational Hearts Charity Golf Tournament at Fescue’s Edge golf course in Scotland ON.. For those interested in sponsoring Porter in the Relay for Life or entering the golf tournament please call 519-753-5320 or visit her website at www.inspirationalhearts.ca
You can visit Inspirational Hearts at their store located at:
84 Charing Cross Street,
Brantford, ON N3R 2H6
Tel: (519) 753-5320 www.inspirationalhearts.ca
Bigger Better Journey
You can visit Inspirational Hearts at their store located at:
