ROCK SPRINGS — A $9,500 grant from the Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative will help fund the cost of replenishing and stocking up on supplies for Sweetwater Breast Boutique.

The team at Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center plans to purchase organizers, such as wig stands, hangers, a clothing rack, and drawers for the boutique, Kayla Mannikko, Executive Director of the Memorial Hospital Foundation, said in the grant application. 

Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County initially received 2025 grant funding from WBCI allowing the Cancer Center to launch Sweetwater Breast Boutique.

“With the help of WBCI, we reached out to other centers in Wyoming that have started a breast boutique and they shared valuable information to guide us through the process of starting one of our own,” said Tasha Harris, dosimetrist and Cancer Center Radiation Department Director. “They also shared their product lists with us to give us an idea of where to start with purchasing products and what some of the most popular products are with their patients.”

With the 2025 WBCI funding, Rita Calzada, licensed clinical social worker, and Eva Wasseen, radiation oncology nurse, were able to complete their training course through the American Board Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics. They are now Certified Mastectomy Fitters, after completing the ABC’s of Fitting, Basic Foundations of Fitting presented by American Breast Care.

Both said they were honored to receive the recent 2026 WBCI grant funding to support the boutique. In the year the boutique has been open, they’ve provided help to about 20 women.

‘Women in this small corner of Wyoming have gone long enough without the convenience of having a breast boutique able to provide the bare essentials of normalcy after battling breast cancer,” Wasseen said. “Many local women are now completing their cancer journey here, even if it started at a bigger center where specialists have access to boutiques. Our patients did not have direct access to these services or information on how to obtain them. Many simply went without or traveled long distances and paid dearly for them. So, we wanted to fill a quiet but critical gap.”

“The WBCI grant will have a significant positive impact on our community by helping breast cancer survivors and patients access essential post-surgical products, supportive care resources, and services that promote healing, comfort, dignity, and confidence. By reducing financial barriers and increasing access to these important resources, we can better support individuals throughout their cancer journey and improve their overall quality of life,” Calzada said.

Sweetwater Breast Boutique offers a variety of free services and products including:

• Bra fitting consultations with certified consultants
• Breast forms and prosthetics
• Compression sleeves and gloves
• Wigs & head covers
• Brushes & shampoo/conditioners
• Scalp care products
• Educational materials

“We’re providing post-lumpectomy and mastectomy patients with bras, shapers and prosthetics, wigs, and other products free of cost, to help women not just survive cancer, but feel normal, supported, and whole again,” Wasseen said. “Healing involves not only a physical, but mental wellbeing which includes ‘feeling like yourself’ again.”