How One Amazing Lifestyle Site is Helping Breast Cancer Fighters and Survivors

One out of every eight women in the U.S. is diagnosed with breast cancer. Yet when single mother Efrat Roman found herself a member of this vast community, she realized there wasn’t really yet a place to get all that she wanted to help her through the disease. Roman was seeking an online space where she could connect with others, and find support and relevant lifestyle advice. So she decided to create one—and CureDiva was born. With the help of survivor Giuliana Rancic and co-founders Tovi Riegler and Ester Gofer, the site launched in September 2013 as the first global e-commerce destination and online community dedicated to helping women fighting breast cancer at every stage.

Left to right: Ester Gofer, Giuliana Rancic, and Efrat Roman.

The thing that’s really special about CureDiva is that it celebrates non-medical needs, especially those related to style and beauty—two aspects of life that other cancer support sites may not put at the forefront. “CureDiva was created to help women with breast cancer recapture their femininity and find one place that houses product recommendations, advice, and education for all of their needs,” Gofer wrote in a recent email. It’s a place where members can share tips, read stories and advice from others going through the disease, chat with one another on forums, and shop for safe and approved personal care and lifestyle products. The tagline on the homepage says it all: “Stylish living through breast cancer.”

One quick browse of CureDiva underlines the point that this stuff isn’t frivolous for those coping with cancer. Visitors can select a category that best identifies them: “just diagnosed,” “in treatment” (surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiotherapy, metastasis) or “ever after” (for those in remission). From there, they enter a shopping portal filled with carefully curated items to help them feel more comfortable, figuratively and literally, throughout the journey.

Åcquarella Nail Polish in Frolic.

In the Just Diagnosed shop, you can find everything from planners and journals to non-toxic beauty products to medical gowns in fun prints. Åcquarella Nail Polish, for example, is a product that helps women feel beautiful without a reaction. “It’s a non-toxic, water-based nail polish that doesn’t have the smell of regular polishes which can often make women sick,” says Gofer. And there are particular items one might need at any stage, she says. For instance, those in remission might need items like extra-supportive bras or clothing with built-in SPF-protection to protect sensitive skin.

“The goal of all the products is to make a diagnosis easier and allow women to still see their beauty while going through treatment,” says Gofer. Every item on the site goes through a rigorous approval process; CureDiva doesn’t sell anything until it’s deemed safe and effective. Many vendors, says Gofer, have been referred to CureDiva by patients and members of the community. “We have a huge community of bloggers and breast cancer fighters and survivors that have all made recommendations,” she says, crediting 40,000+ Facebook followers as one of the biggest sources of help.

In fact, CureDiva’s community is one of the most valuable parts of the site for members, because they can go there for real-time help from real people who’ve been through the same experiences. There are forums, blogs written by survivors and fighters, plus the recently launched Guardian Divas program. “A Guardian Diva is someone that can understand and share firsthand experiences about breast cancer diagnoses, someone who remembers what it was like to be at the same stage and acts as a friend to ask and consult with about what is relevant to your life,” says Gofer. On the site, you can connect with a Guardian, or become one, which is a pretty awesome thing.

Look for the site to expand more soon, including portals for men fighting the disease (although rare, it does exist). “We’re only in our first year of development, but we have massive plans,” says Gofer. “As we grow, we’ll continue to develop products and resources to help a larger audience fighting breast cancer until hopefully, some day, there is a cure.”

Photos courtesy of CureDiva