Qups breast prostheses to be launched in St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG - Positive and Elektralyets Foundations along with Proud Breast Brand Ambassador Simone van Dijk are set to launch a project to make the Qups by ProudBreast, an innovative breast prosthesis, available on St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. The launch is set for Thursday, October 20, at 6:00pm at Commodore Suites in Cole Bay.

In August 2022, Positive and Elektralyets Foundations and ProudBreast made a “Ladies Agreement” to bring the Qups to Sint Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. For the introduction of ProudBreast, the Foundations found medical company Benu Pharmacy that will be the main supplier.

The Qup is the new feminine alternative for all types of breast prostheses. The new comfortable padding for your bra for a carefree symmetrical life. The launch coincides with the foundations’ awareness activities for breast cancer awareness month.

A Qup is made of breast shaped ultra-soft foam, covered by a high standard, biological cotton jersey. The shape and size are optimized to a wide range of standard lingerie sizes. The Qup can be placed in a bra with or without stitches. You can sew it into the bra with the sewing kit that comes with the Qup. Thus, every woman can create a bra that perfectly fits her body shape.

Encouraging women to attend the launch and other awareness activities, Proud Breast Brand Ambassador Simone van Dijk shared how she got involved with Qups. “In 2020, my mother Trudy was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her operation, she wanted a light, comfortable breast prosthesis and found ProudBreast. After two years Trudy is still very happy with her Qups. Because of my mom’s positive experiences, I became a fan of ProudBreast myself.”

Van Dijk’s mother’s visit to Curacao highlighted how well the Qups work for women living in (or visiting) a tropical climate. In Curaçao, the traditional silicone prosthesis is usually offered. “They are not always comfortable, especially during the summer when we have really hot temperatures.”

Bringing Qups to St. Maarten was also important to Van Dijk. She was once a resident here; having lived, volunteered and worked on the island for over three years. She worked as a community coordinator with the St. Maarten AIDS Foundation and volunteered as a mentor for its youth wing.

White Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF) has offered to open a fitting center so women in Sint Maarten can see, feel and try the breast prostheses with an experienced and trained fitting professional. With the help of these professionals a woman can find the prosthesis that suits her body type and lifestyle.

For the three islands Benu Pharmacy will be the main supplier for the Qups. The board of Benu Pharmacies offered to add the breast prostheses by ProudBreast to their assortment. Women diagnosed with breast cancer receive a prescription for a breast prosthesis by their oncologist or general physician. With the prescription and the recommended Qup size and type women can collect their breast prosthesis at Benu Pharmacy.

Since September 2020, lingerie entrepreneurs have the possibility to offer our products. These are regular lingerie shops and retailers specialized in prosthesis. As of July 2022, Dutch lingerie company Livera is offering the Qups in all of their stores and the Qups became available by retailers in Belgium and Germany. In Curaçao the Qups are available via Curves & Hips and Princes Wilhelmina Foundation. PWF added the SoftQup temporary to their more traditional prostheses collection to offer a larger freedom of choice.

After an extensive research and development process, Dutch founders Clary Scheres and Suzanne Kemps were able to launch ProudBreast B.V. in April 2019. As a social enterprise, we mainly focus on creating impact. From the beginning, their goal was to develop a product together with the target group (women without breasts); a comfortable breast prosthesis.

As a social enterprise, Proud Breast is committed to reflecting its values in everything it does. The company has linked its impact objectives to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

For more information about the fight against breast cancer and about Qups, contact Shelly Alfonso at +1721-580-9658 or email shelly.alphonso@outlook.com or Van Dijk at +5999- 520-1337 or email proudbreastcuracao@gmail.com.