In 1998, Wilma Castillo, RMF, attended a CAMP training seminar for mastectomy fitters. Although involved in the medical equipment arena since 1992, she was shocked by the breast cancer figures shared by the session leader. For example, during the previous ten years, the number of women who died from breast cancer was three times that of the number of deaths from the Vietnam War. Wilma left with a mission to learn all she could about breast cancer and the options for women.
Over the next four years, Wilma became an experienced fitter and learned more about breast cancer than she thought she ever would. In May 2002, her education became much more personal as she began her own battle with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. She later found out that her cancer probably began its undetectable assault on her body 4-5 years earlier – about the time she first grew interested in this health issue.
To talk with Wilma today is a conversation of hope and dedication, and a testament to the thoroughness of the fitter education and preparation that happens as part of the ABC credential. From her experience and education, Wilma recognized the symptoms of her cancer. Additionally, she drew on her resources and knowledge to be an effective partner in her medical care and medical decisions. Had it not been for her work with other survivors, Wilma may have been more like those who didn’t know what questions to ask, didn’t know the stages of recovery facing her and didn’t know how to advocate for treatment and care. Had it not been for her contacts in the industry, she would not have been familiar with non-surgical breast reconstruction, which offered her the choice of a custom breast.
That has changed since Wilma, her husband and a third partner opened J&W Medical Equipment & Repairs in Puerto Rico almost two years ago. They have an exclusive distributorship for CAMP for their non-evasive reconstruction and Wilma provides complete mastectomy fitting services.
“I treat the whole person,” says Wilma as she describes her work. “My goal is have each person smiling when they leave the door. And I have to say that I don’t have one customer who hasn’t kissed me!” (See more tips from Wilma in the Tech Corner.)
To keep her professional edge, Wilma attends seminars and maintains her credentials. She is quick to say though that her clients provide some of her best training, and that she learns from each person. She also learns with each class and talk she gives and she refers to her journey as classic “on-the-job training.” Her experience has sharpened her senses and made her a better fitter.