After discovering a lump in 2003 she got it checked out and doctors confirmed her worst fear: that she had breast cancer. “My whole world just changed,” Linda says. “I just collapsed and thought ‘I can’t believe this.’ It all came so fast and I didn’t have time to think… I went into this shock.”

Although she explored holistic options for her treatment, she ended up needing chemotherapy, and then surgery: a double mastectomy. “What we go through is such an uphill battle emotionally with this type of surgery. We’re getting rid of a big part of our identity, the first thing that makes us a woman. That’s a big part of who we are. Now I know what they mean when they say ‘Linda you’re an amazing woman to get through that.’”

She discovered through her recovery, that she was unprepared for the side-effects of breast cancer surgery and saw that there were items that she needed to get through it. “I was like ‘I need to help women get through this.’ And, I just knew that someday I would turn it into a business creating recovery care baskets for women going through this type of surgery.”  Scroll down to watch Linda's story.

Linda’s gift baskets include items that will help women during their recovery, like a heating pad for muscle cramps, a camisole that opens in the front and velcros shut, and a cozy shawl with pockets designed to hold drain tubes. Simple things like a pill box and straws make a big difference when you don’t have the strength to open a pill bottle or raise a glass up to drink, she recalls. And, a soothing DVD of music and imagery can help to easy anxiety and calm the mind.  But, sometimes all you need is a hug, and to know someone's thinking of you.  That's where the Hug Box comes in, which holds a thoughtful and loving poem inside.

Visit the Wings of Angels website at recoverwithangels.com.

“The most exciting part of my business and what I do is when people give me a call and say they were looking for specific things, came to my site, and found comfort in knowing that the items come from the heart. And, they know that the items will help their loved ones.”

Aside from delivering useful products, Linda delivers hope. “I have talked with many women and they say ‘Linda, you’re my angel. That’s the greatest gift. I guess that’s my hope for Wings of Angels… for women to see me and say ‘That’s going to be me someday. I am going to survive.”

Extra videos:
Linda shares some tipsabout how to help a friend who has cancer.
Linda offers some practical post-op awareness tips for those facing breast cancer surgery.

What items have helped you recover? What gave you hope throughout your cancer journey? Please leave a comment below.