DANA DONOFREE

FASHION ENTREPRENEUR. ACTIVIST. DISRUPTOR.

MEET DANA DONOFREE

Dana Donofree dreamed of owning her own fashion company. She could not have imagined that a breast cancer diagnosis would help her to realize that dream. In 2010, the day before her 28th birthday and just a few months before her wedding, Dana was examining her armpit when her wrist brushed against a pea-sized lump. She soon learned it was stage 1, infiltrating ductal carcinoma, HER2+ ER+ breast cancer. Years of treatment followed, including bilateral mastectomy followed by reconstruction, chemotherapy, and eight and a half years of hormone therapy. 

Following a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, Dana found herself confronting a dilemma that many post-surgical patients face: finding bras that accommodate their bodies. Few bras on the market were designed for women whose bodies had been altered by surgery, and fewer still offered beautiful and functional support to all bodies. Armed with the more than 10 years of experience in the fashion industry and a drive to upend the status quo, Dana set out to design an intimate line specifically for post-surgery bodies.

The result, born from necessity, is AnaOno. Offering intimates, loungewear, apparel, and breast forms specially designed for post-surgery bodies, the unique business prides itself on being “boob inclusive” and focusing on the whole person, not just their breasts. 

Dana also contributes to the breast cancer community through her involvement with several non-profits. She serves on the board of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and is a staunch Metavivor advocate. Now 39, Dana lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband Paul.

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO MAINTAINING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK?

I decided to not do anything in my life that didn’t bring me joy. Pushing out all the negativity in my life – in relationships and overall – helps me to look forward with a more positive outlook. But I must add that this takes practice: Cancer is not positive and you really have to work hard to see the bright side of things. It is important to be positive, but also realistic. 

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF!

I grew up in a tiny town in Ohio, that I left to attend Savannah College of Art and Design, and eventually headed out to New York City to live up my dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Eventually, I met my now husband and we packed up and headed west to Denver, CO to start a new path through life. I just never expected that path would include a breast cancer diagnosis and lead me to starting my own business: AnaOno in Philadelphia. 

WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT DECISION YOU’VE HAD TO MAKE TO PURSUE YOUR DESTINY?

I haven’t had to make a difficult decision. I may die from cancer one day, I may not. Being aware of that gives me the chance to live every moment to the fullest! It is a gift and curse.

WHAT IS THE BEST LIFE LESSON THAT TOOK YOU THE LONGEST TO LEARN?

I actually look at this the reverse. I feel like I got catapulted into the world that our “grandmothers” earned. On one side, life is short. On the other side, life is short. So, live it up. Be happy. Do what you love. Love hard. And don’t forget: life is short. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?

“She believed she could, so she did. Because so many believed I couldn’t but I did it anyway.”

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE?

Challenging ourselves to be better. We can always do more, be more, want more. But life isn’t about the tangible things that we acquire; it’s about exploring your mind and your heart and going wherever life takes you. And that can be different and unique to each individual. 

IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK ANYMORE, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR DAYS? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?

I would travel the world advocating for others that don’t have access to the treatment and care they deserve. As an advocate and activist in this space for over a decade, I have realized that things are not created equal. That is horribly apparent and we have a lot of work to do to band together. 

WHAT SONG, BOOK, OR MOVIE WOULD BE YOUR LIFE’S THEME OR YOUR ANTHEM?

Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat,” because the only reason that I am here is because I must be on my 9th life. My second dream in this lifetime was to be Jackson’s choreographer. This song is just so badass, it gets me moving no matter where I am in life! 

BREAST CANCER RELATED

HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU WERE DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER? WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES?

I was diagnosed with breast cancer a day before my 28th birthday and just a few months before our wedding. I was in the shower, examining a pimple in my armpit, when my wrist rubbed up against the tiniest pea-sized lump in my breast. There was no reason for breast cancer to be on my radar. My mom’s sister, my aunt, had breast cancer in her 30’s – now more than 40 years ago – but no one else in our family was impacted, so her case seemed to be a fluke.

WHAT DID YOUR TREATMENT INVOLVE?

My diagnosis was Stage 1, IDC, HER2+ ER+ breast cancer. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy in 2010, followed by implant reconstruction, six rounds of chemotherapy, a year of Herceptin, eight and a half years of hormone therapy including tamoxifen and three years of Lupron. Nearly 12 years after my first reconstruction, I had a breast revision to remove my implants from under the muscle to over the muscle, as a means o f helping back pain I had been having for many years. 

Currently, I am no longer on my treatment, and graduated to the Survivorship Clinic with oncology at Penn.  

WHAT IS THE MOST POSITIVE THING TO COME OUT OF YOUR BREAST CANCER JOURNEY?

I have always dreamed of having my own fashion company, being a designer, and having my name “on the wall” – I never expected cancer would lead me to realizing one of my wildest dreams, but it did when I launched AnaOno. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOURSELF WHEN YOU WERE FIRST DIAGNOSED?

Take it one day at a time. You can’t speed up the process, nor should you. Strap in and go for the ride, and hold on tight, because it’s going to be a rough one, but you can come out the other side better than when you went in. 

BIG PICTURE

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE?

Challenging ourselves to be better. We can always do more, be more, want more. But life isn’t about the tangible things that we acquire; it’s about exploring your mind and your heart and going wherever life takes you. And that can be different and unique to each individual.