WeldWerks Brewing Co. wants you to #GiveASh!rt, which is why the brewery has teamed up with Somebunny Cares, a local nonprofit that provides unique post-op mastectomy shirts featuring hidden drain pockets along with support accessories, quirky gift items and outreach for women going through breast cancer. Brewed with love for Somebunny Cares, WeldWerks’ 10K IPA: #GIVEASH!RT Edition will provide $10,000 worth of breast cancer surgery recovery shirt kits. Each kit contains one comfort shirt and a lanyard for holding the drains in the shower.
According to Somebunny Cares Founder, Podcaster and Breast Cancer Survivor Hannah Hopkins Walton, an average of 4,737 Colorado women are diagnosed with breast cancer yearly; in Colorado, that’s one in six women that will receive a diagnosis. As Walton prepared for her mastectomy in 2017, she scoured the internet for shirts that would make recovery easier due to the fact that post surgery, women are advised not to raise their arms and it’s common to have bulky and itchy drains for up to three weeks. Not finding what she needed, Walton began to sew and create shirts that would fit the bill. Since then, Walton has made it her mission to make recovery shirts easily accessible for women having breast surgery.
“Somebunny is the space that I wish I had when I was on my journey. Recovery shirts are new to the market, even nurses and providers are learning they exist. They are so incredibly helpful for post surgery comfort, we have to get them in the hands of women who need them,” says Walton. “Cancer is a hard topic to talk about; many women feel isolated as they go through surgeries and treatments because they don’t want to bother their loved ones and the idea of a support group feels heavy. Through authenticity and connection, humor and storytelling I want to reach out to women and give them a space where everyone is included.”
10K IPA: #GIVEASH!RT Edition is an India Pale Ale brewed with Citra, Strata and Idaho Gem hops. The beer will be available Friday, Nov. 12 at the WeldWerks taproom, with limited distribution across the brewery’s footprint, while supplies last. Check the brewery’s beer finder for availability. To support Somebunny Cares and its mission, purchase the beer, share the photo on social media with #GiveASh!rt or make a donation.
“Health and wellness is a large focal point for our Brewing Better Communities initiative. With a life changing diagnosis like breast cancer it’s important to look at post care as well as survival rates. SomeBunny Cares provided a very tangible and targeted opportunity to aid breast cancer survivors both mentally and physically,” says WeldWerks Community Engagement Manager Roy Van Anda. “We are incredibly excited to support this new organization and its efforts so that it can continue to positively impact more people every year.”
In addition to the release of 10K IPA: #GIVEASH!RT Edition, WeldWerks will host a 10K IPA: #GiveASh!rt Burlesque Circus event with Circular Performance Art, a collaboration of forward thinking movement artists offering burlesque, aerial, fire and object manipulation, on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. This event will also provide more information about Somebunny Cares.
“When I connect with a woman to give a recovery shirt kit, she is often at the beginning of her journey. Every breast cancer is unique, therefore there isn’t one way to treat it. What is the same for everyone is the fear of the unknown, the life-changing shake up that comes with a cancer diagnosis,” says Walton. “A recovery shirt seems like such a simple thing but it really is so much more than a shirt.”
To learn more about Hannah and Somebunny Cares view this video or visit Somebunnyawesome.com.
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