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Victoria's Secret Begins Researching "Survivor Bras" for Mastectomy Patients After Petition

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Feb 01, 2013 12:44 PM EST

The giant lingerie chain Victoria's Secret has responded to a Change.org petition and revealed that it is in the process of researching the development of a line of "survivor" bras for breast cancer patients who have undergone mastectomies.

Allana Maiden and her mother, Debbie Barrett, launched the petition on Jan. 17 via Change.org asking Victoria's Secret to make "Survivor" bras for women who have survived cancer by undergoing mastectomies. The petition launched by the mother and daughter over 118,000 signatures in less than two weeks.

Yesterday, Tammy Roberts, the Vice President of external communications at Limited Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret, met with the mother-daughter pair to express interest in the "survivor bra" idea and to discuss a game plan.

"I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, but it's good to know that I've caught the ear of somebody who's higher up in the company and really seems like they're interested in finding out more about this," Allana told the Daily Beast.

"It's really gone along a lot faster than I thought it would," her mom, Debbie, added. "I'm surprised that it has and I'm thankful that they are taking it seriously."

Allana was just six years old when her mother was treated for breast cancer and had a single mastectomy procedure.  Debbie said that afterwards, the difficulty finding a bra that fit just added her frustrating ordeal.

Allana and Debbie also revealed yesterday that Victoria's Secret has already started researching the design process of the "Survivor" bra and has plans to fly both of them to their Columbus, Ohio headquarters to meet with developers.

"It's good to know that I'm helping somebody that's high up in the company and that seems interested in finding out more about this and what we can do to make it possible," Allana said, according to the Daily Mail.

Victoria's Secret, who has donated millions of dollars to cancer research, released a statement about the meeting with Allana and Debbie to develop a mastectomy bra.

"We celebrate those who champion the fight against breast cancer. Victoria's Secret and our parent company, Limited Brands, have been dedicated to helping eradicate this disease," the company said in a statement.

"Ultimately, we are working towards celebrating the day when breast cancer is a thing of the past. In the meantime, we are listening and learning to understand if there are additional ways for our company to continue to extend its support," the company added.

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