Stitch Fix Highlight: A Mom’s Cancer Diagnosis

I first started using SF this past summer. I got my first fix in September and kept every single item.

My favorite thing is that I do not have to make decisions and I do not have to drive to multiple stores and spend hours in fitting rooms. I send them my info and they do all of that work for me. I save time and money on gas and of course time is money too. Especially with a one year old, there’s no shopping for me! If I had to improve anything, it would be the price. It would be nice if they had on sale/clearance items to choose from, or lower price points since you do have to factor in that $20 styling fee. It would also be neat if they had their own form of Pinterest where you could virtually shop and put things in your cart as inspiration for the stylist instead of creating a Pinterest board that everyone can see. {side note by Shanti: this is an awesome idea!}

So my mom found a lump this past spring and they found she had stage 2 breast cancer, grade 3 tumors. This means the tumors that were found are very fast growing, hence her need for chemotherapy. She had a double mastectomy in late September and even though they found no evidence of the cancer spreading anywhere else, they went ahead and started her on chemo because of the aggressive nature of her cancer. She is in her third month of chemo, with four treatments total. Her last treatment will be in late January. She has lost all of her hair, eye lashes, etc…and has been having a ton of pain and nausea, especially the week after her treatment. But, despite it all, she has been able to make it to some pretty big events in our family like my son’s first birthday and Thanksgiving dinner, even if all she could eat was mashed potatoes! It is unclear if this is heredity only because she lost her own mother and grandmother so early in their lives, but of course we assume some genetic factors.

I asked for a delay to my November Fix because I have been busy driving my mom to her appointments. My sister, dad, and I take turns each week taking her to her physical therapy appointments, oncology appointments, fill appointments (in preparation for her implants that will eventually come early next year we hope), etc….My sister and I both have young children, and my dad works full time, and we have no other family around, so I told SF the stress of everything was too much and I just wanted to focus on getting her what she needs at this time- support, meals, etc…When they got the note, a few weeks later I received a card in the mail offering their thoughts to our family and they gave me $100 in SF credit for my next fix in January.

I would say that it meant more than they know. Little gestures to let you know you are being thought of means a lot. And even though it’s not me going through the chemo, it affects our entire family. I plan on sharing this $100 SF credit with my mom, which will also be fun, because her birthday is January 8th. I would thank them and tell them that what they are doing is unheard of in this world where people are passed through like cattle.

Alyssa, thank you for sharing your mom’s story with us! Praying for complete healing and restoration in her life! (And Deanna, thank you for allowing Alyssa to share!)