What did you do with your bras?

I'm curious...would some one really want used under garments like that?

Marilyn, that's so thoughtful of you to be looking for others who can use your no-longer-needed bras!

I did a little Google search with "donate bras" as the keywords (without the quotes), and found many, many organizations that accept donations of bras. Some charities focus specifically on clean, gently-worn bras to aid various women's causes, and some mainstream organizations accept them for sale or distribution to needy recipients. The Salvation Army website, for example, lists tax receipt values for clothing donations, including bras.

The Mods

I passed on my bras that were fit to pass on.  But the ones I was wearing right around when I was diagnosed,  a couple worn out old nursing bras, I am going to bury next time we plant a tree.  

I never had more than 2-3 bras at a time. If they have decent coverage, you can have pockets sewn into them.

Good subject, It was a "self-cleansing" thing to do, to toss my old bras. I cried and cried even more, and I seemed to need that at the time. They were ratty but comfy bras.

Fancy bras, I gave to the salvation army, because they do sell these kinds of things!

I like Cydney's idea!  I, too, can't quite bear with the thought of throwing out my comfy bras.  And while stalling, came up with another really useful configuration.

I am only 10 days post mastectomy, and really wanted support for the unaffected boob.  But I can't put any pressure on my sore, swollen underarm on the mastectomy side.  So I took a pair of scissors to a supportive old gardening bra, cut out the armpit area and fabric that would sit over my incision, and VOILA - I have the perfect post-surgical comfort bra!! 

The band spans a region below my incision - so no pain there. My drains come out through the area I cut out, and pass over the band - perfect.  And the shoulder strap, although shifted a bit toward the unaffected side, holds everything in place.  And today in a pinch, I even discovered I could pin a fluff boob into place over the area I cut out, and look pretty good to guests. Tomorrow, I might take it out in public to for a full test drive.

It seems someone would have invented something like this already - butI looked on-line,  and only found a pending patent for a "breast-sling".  I think my solution is more comfy!

Now I'm trying to decide if I cut another one like this so I can change them out, while waiting for the drains to come out and armpit swelling to go down.  Or, should I save them to use as Cydney suggests, or to convert to mastectomy bras with pockets (a simple cut might do it).

When I got close to having my BMX, or a short time after it, I put my bras in a box to be donated at a later date. Well, I can't remember where I put the box now! I have lots of clothes to go thru and give away, but at this point, with everything else I have to deal with, it is just too much work, or I forget.

I have a mastectomy bra and soft prosthetic inserts that I need to give away, but don't think of it until I am already near someplace...sigh. And I have so many appts. it just seems like too much work... 

And yes, there are many women who would wear someone else's bras. There are hundreds of thousands of women in this economy that I am sure can't afford bras.

You could ask  your local Red Cross, your Salvation Army, homeless shelters, abused women's shelters. There are many other organizations ( we have something called the Neighbor's Place that takes donations of just about anything that gives them FREE to the needy).