Welcome to Poppies with Purpose!
We are a shoe brand igniting courage, creating connection and bringing a pop of color to those impacted by cancer.
It all started with the words “you have breast cancer.” For anyone who has unfortunately experienced hearing those words, it’s instant disbelief. You think, “how can this be? Maybe the scan is wrong. It has to be a mistake, a BIG mistake.” Sadly, like too many others, the scan was not wrong. I was in my late 30’s, married, raising two young girls, with no history of cancer in my family. My doctor told me I was that “unlucky” one. Unlucky then, but lucky to be here 12 years later determined to make an impact on those touched by cancer. So, with my husband, our two young daughters, an amazingly supportive family, friends and a phenomenal team of doctors by my side, I was determined to learn, fight and beat this!
We hoped a double mastectomy would be the only treatment needed. Sadly, it wasn’t. I learned I would need 8 doses of chemotherapy followed by 6 weeks of radiation, e v e r y s i n g l e d a y for five days a week. (Wait, what!? Will I lose my long hair!? Yep. All of it.)
Feeling painfully defeated, I had to dig deep. I decided that I was going to wear my bright pink ballet flats when I walked into the powerful, overwhelming, and sterile hospital. I needed that dose of bright color to help me fight through a really dark time. The pink color lifted my spirits and could always spark a conversation with other patients, my nurses, and doctors. It connected us especially my young girls, who wanted to wear a pair on the days I had treatment too. Those shoes gave me the feeling of bravery and courage and reminded me that I could power through whatever was going to come my way, bald head & all!
For many years, I kept thinking, maybe a pair of pink shoes can do the same for others also going though this same experience.
When we hear of someone diagnosed with cancer, we all want to do something to show our love and support.
Why not send them a pair of bright colorful shoes, boost their spirits and let them know you’ll be there every step of the way?
Maybe a colorful thread in the daily life begins with friends and family wearing them to show daily support and reminding a loved one, they are not walking alone. I know, first hand that it can move mountains for your heart and mind set. The support from friends and family can truly carry you through it all.
So, in September 2022, Poppies with Purpose was introduced at the American Cancer Society Making Strides against Breast Cancer event in Boston, MA with our first color: pink, for breast cancer.
Why the name, Poppies with Purpose?
It all started with my grandmother’s “duster.” It was her house coat in the 1950’s that she would wear in the mornings with her hair in curlers, sipping her coffee. That “duster” had been hanging in my mothers closet for years after she left us too soon.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, my mother did what she does like no other…she made the most perfect quilt from that bold, cheerful duster of my grandma’s. It only seemed fitting to name the shoe brand Poppies with Purpose, because of the bright poppy flower, the pop of color and most important, our purpose.
That same 1950’s bright, cheerful duster pattern was hand painted by a family member who incorporated pink into the pattern for the breast cancer significance to create our reusable, washable “duster bag” that every pair of shoes arrives in.
Whether you receive a pair of Poppies for yourself or you are sending them to a loved one, our mission is to ignite courage and connection, one colorful shoe at a time while giving back along the way! We hope you’ll join us.
With color and purpose,
Xo
