Loop by loop, Fredericton woman helps those who have undergone a mastectomy

Deborah Doucet has been knitting since she was just four years old.

Her skills and her love of the craft are evident in everything she's ever done, but especially in her latest creations.

Last year, she was at her cottage in Shediac when a friend of a friend came to visit. Eventually, she and the guest got on the topic of something called Knitted Knockers, which are breast prostheses for women who have had a mastectomy.

After doing a bit of research, Doucet, 68, who has had her own serious medical challenges, knew this was something she could do, and she'd do it in honour of her grandmother, who died of breast cancer.

"I can no longer run races or participate in walks or even sit for three hours at the mall and sell tickets … and up until I had a heart attack at 49, I did all of that," she said.

"So if I can knit Knockers, that's what I do. My hands are very seldom idle — I cannot watch TV without either a book in my hand or something to do in my hand, so usually, I sit there with a Knitted Knocker."

Rows of unfilled Knitted Knockers lined Doucet's dining room table as she prepared to mail off another box. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)

Since beginning this journey, Doucet has knit nearly 250 pairs. She packages them and sends them to Knitted Knockers of Canada, based in Waterdown, Ont., near Hamilton, where they are stuffed with polyester fibre fill and given away to those who need them.

According to the website, the handmade items are meant to take the place of traditional breast prostheses that can be "expensive, heavy, sweaty and uncomfortable."

When placed in a regular bra, they take the shape of a real breast, the company says. It relies on volunteer knitters, like Doucet, from across the country.

The umbrella company, the Knitted Knockers Support Foundation based in the United States, was started by Barbara Demorest after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and felt self-conscious about needing a mastectomy.

Demorest went to her doctor to pick up a brochure for a silicone prosthetic but was told that a lot of women aren't happy with how hot, heavy and expensive they are, according to the website. That's when the doctor asked her if she could knit and showed her a photo of a breast prosthesis made out of yarn, suggesting she make one of those.

WATCH | 'So if I can knit Knockers, that's what I do':

Demorest started knitting, and the organization has grown to now include 4,800 groups in 50 states and 56 countries, according to the website.

For Doucet, knitting settles the mind, and she can complete a Knitted Knocker in about two hours, so it's quick work.

She said the website provides patterns, and they are made to correspond with different cup sizes. Only approved yarns can be used.

Doucet said the yarn can get expensive, along with the postage costs, but coupled with her time spent knitting, the money she puts into it is simply her donation to the cause.

'I feel very lucky'

In 2005, Doucet had a heart attack because her body produces too much cholesterol, She did well with stents, for a while.

In 2013, she was supposed to undergo a procedure where the surgeon goes between the ribs and puts the stent in the clogged artery. It was supposed to be quick, with a two-day recovery.

Deborah Doucet has mailed two full boxes of breast prostheses to a company that distributes them for free. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)

The night before the surgery, the doctor told her that he couldn't see the back of her heart and that she would need to have open heart surgery.

Knowing she would have an extensive scar from the procedure, Doucet worried about how she'd view her body.

It wasn't until she later took a trip to Florida, where there was an event for survivors of cancer and she met women who had had a mastectomy, that things clicked into place.

"I looked at my scar after that and thought, 'Mine's nothing,'" Doucet recalled.

"That was a big influence. … I feel very lucky."

Doucet said knitting settles her mind. She can knit one Knocker in about two hours. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)

And although it's important for Doucet to keep her stress levels down and not push herself too much, she has tried her best to spread the word about Knitted Knockers within her community.

She even created a presentation for her own doctor's office in the hope of getting the office to carry them.

"If I'm meeting somebody that I have never met before, very often, coming up in the conversation will be, 'Have you heard of Knitted Knockers?'" she said.

"Just the name alone is a pretty good conversation opener."