For decades, the healthcare system was not only managed and led by men, but also researched and designed by men, for men, without even assuming the obvious; that diseases differ between men and women in all aspects, from prevention, prognosis and clinical signs, diagnosis, therapeutic approaches, and of course, in their psychological and social impact.
Women’s complaints and symptoms were usually defined as “women\female issues” and were dismissed in a way that is patronizing and with a fair amount of contempt. Hormonal changes from menstruation and menopause were treated as sentimentality and hysteria, postpartum depression as indulgence, and in general, as long as the health issue was not something known or experienced by the medical space — which meant male doctors and researches — it was not an issue.
Being an entrepreneur is never easy, it is a long road filled with obstacles and challenges, but when it comes to presenting solutions to problems that are not even acknowledged by men, it is much harder.
As a female entrepreneur, trying to pitch to men about subjects that are not even medical per se — but also involve psychological and emotional aspects — was very frustrating, sisyphean, and sometimes even invidious. Talking about collateral damage, and about the loss and grief women experience when fighting breast cancer and hearing this was vanity and that we should be thankful for being alive made me realize, I must fight harder to prove that I don’t only offer a great solution, but firstly that there was a problem that was important enough to be solved, and even funded.
About Me & EZbra
I am a BRCA carrier and a breast cancer survivor among a long line of survivors in my family. My triple-negative tumor was aggressive and I had to undergo a double mastectomy. I went through 5 surgeries due to the mastectomy and reconstruction, and stopped before the 6th. Waking up in the operating room after my first surgery is really the moment that EZbra was born. I was covered in improvised dressings and bandages that were not made for my shape or the tubes and bulb coming out of me. The person I knew my entire life when looking in the mirror was gone. I was in pain, I couldn’t change my dressings on my own, I was uncomfortable, and I felt that a part of me was gone.
I couldn’t believe that this was the standard of care. I researched, I talked to other survivors, and spoke to doctors, and I was horrified — there was no solution, no standard of care for women after breast surgeries. I discovered a shocking percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer had PTSD during the time they were most likely to have surgery, and I understood why — I was there . I created EZbra to change that, to provide women with a sterile and disposable bra that is comfortable and meets all of their medical post-op needs while looking feminine and giving them independence and dignity to change and apply them on their own.
Presenting to VCs
I was passionate about EZbra because of my own experiences with breast cancer and my experience in the breast cancer community. I knew that there was an unmet need and this was a necessary change in women’s health around the world. Everyone would get that, right?
The majority of VCs, angels, and investors are men — and that presented a new challenge. How do I convey my own passion and knowledge about this problem and solution to an audience that couldn’t possibly relate? I found myself talking to men about breasts and femininity, often demonstrating the product on myself and talking about my own experiences and breast surgeries. The pictures I showed of breasts after surgery with the current improvised dressings used around the world (nothing short of horror pics) made many of them uncomfortable.
It was a huge challenge, and I decided that EZbra must not only be women-led in it’s C-suite, but also led by female investors who understood the problem and loved the solution right away. EZbra’s seed round was led by a female angel investor, and had a majority of female investors joining this unique journey.
EZbra as the Gold Standard of Care
Our mission at EZbra is to become the gold standard of care for women undergoing any form of breast surgery. Our goal for the next few months is to raise awareness of our solution and support Breast Cancer Awareness month as well as survivors. EZbra is working with several breast cancer organizations and foundations, allowing anyone to visit the site, choose a foundation they support, and purchase EZbras to be sent to actual patients in need.
Women’s healthcare is changing as more women create, innovate, and help it evolve. No one can truly understand our problems, and no one will solve our problems for us — it is time for women to lead women’s healthcare.
About EZbra:
EZbra breast dressing, created by Efrat Roman, is an advanced, patented and FDA listed, post-op sterile, disposable and absorbing breast dressing. It offers a designated, personalized solution to the discomfort and inefficiencies patients experience with current breast wound dressings after surgery, allowing them to recover with dignity. EZbra is a women-led startup and a part of the emerging Fem-Tech industry which focuses on women’s healthcare and wellness.
