WHEN Worcester sisters Paula Farrington and Lisa Farrington-Martin met their good friend Julie Brettell for lunch 18 months ago it turned out to be just the stimulus they needed to launch their exclusive boutique aimed at women cancer patients.

The sisters were on tenderhooks waiting to hear whether Julie had been given her five years “all clear” status by her surgeon after being treated for breast cancer.

And Julie’s good news was just what they wanted to hear and helped them take the leap to set up Embrace in Reindeer Court, Worcester, selling lingerie, wigs, headwear, scarves, bandanas, swimwear and more recently skincare, make-up, body and hair care products.

Also, Paula has now become the first person in the UK to qualify to provide Defiant Beauty facial treatments for cancer patients.

Paula, aged 46, was a senior prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service and Lisa, aged 44, worked as a human resources manager with West Midlands Police.

Paula said they had both been thinking of a career change and had both worked in retail as teenagers. They had also both done part-time courses at Worcester College of Technology in various holistic therapies including massage, aromatherapy, Indian head massage. Paula did an additional course in reflexology.

“We were aware there was a need for something like this. When Julie was going through her treatment one of the difficulties for her was finding the items she wanted. We experienced it ourselves when we tried to find hats for her. It took us hours to find just two suitable hats,” said Paula.

“It was because of that we wanted to start Embrace,” she added. “Julie, like the majority of women, still wanted to look her best despite her illness but struggled to find clothing, wigs and skincare products which were of high quality and sold in a pleasant environment.

“We and Julie found the task of searching out the items we did manage to find to be an exhausting and frustrating one.”

Paula added: “We concentrate on breast cancer patients because of Julie’s situation and started with a range of mastectomy bras. All the other things like wigs and hats can be used by any woman with cancer.

“We believe that women affected by cancer and alopecia are getting a raw deal from mainstream retailers. They should be able to purchase the products you need easily – without making multiple trips or doing hours of research on the internet.”

Embrace also offers an online shop for anyone who can’t attend in person and Paula and Lisa offer help on the phone or by e-mail when needed.

Paula and Lisa have found that women who have not had surgery or been diagnosed with breast cancer are now finding who they need in the boutique.

And some of the skin care products are suitable for women with sensitive skin as well as those with breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.

Embrace stocks Defiant Beauty products which are specially made for cancer patients by Jennifer Young but many women with cancer find they are turned away from beauty salons because cancer is classed as a contra-indication to treatment, which means beauticians are not insured to treat those affected.

She said: “Women don’t stop being women when they are diagnosed with cancer. Our clients enjoy Defiant Beauty, recognising that it brings luxurious beauty back into their bathroom, but many of the women that we help tell us that they miss trips to the salon.”

Jennifer has worked to provide a training course for experienced beauty and/or holistic therapists that will allow them to work with cancer patients and be insured to do it. The result is Defiant Beauty Facials.

“She was getting as angry as we were that if you have chemotherapy you could not get any sort of beauty treatment because most therapists are not insured,” said Paula.

After doing a Jennifer Young training course, Paula is now qualified to give Defiant Beauty treatments. Lisa is also doing the same training and expects to qualify soon.

Paula said: “We met Jennifer a couple of years ago when we set up Embrace and we stock her Defiant Beauty range in the boutique. We are passionate about improving the shopping experiences of women affected by cancer and it was a natural step to train with Jennifer to provide these gentle facial treatments, which relax and pamper clients at a time when they need it more than ever.”

• Embrace also contributes part of its profits to local charities supporting its customers like Worcester Breast Cancer Unit Campaign and has also partnered Birmingham based charity Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer and are part of their patients lounge in central Birmingham.

• Paula and Lisa have also just won a national contract with the NHS to provide wigs for NHS cancer patients.