New shop blends business savvy, personal missions

“Hope is the voice that God uses to speak to our hearts instead of our heads,“ is the motto of a new business that is helping those struggling with cancer.

Hearts of Hope held its grand opening on Monday at 1433 Wilson Road.

Owners Jennifer Moates and Lisa Bishop are both cancer survivors, but their mission and business idea did not begin there.

Jennifer experienced cancer at the young age of 23. The young army wife thought her postpartum check up after her daughter was born would just be routine. One day a few weeks later, Moates looked in the mirror and sensed something was wrong with her body. That same day, she received a card that had gotten lost in the mail. The card directed her to call her doctor immediately. The phone call changed her life.

Soon Moates learned she had cervical cancer. She soon decided to stop going to the army physicians and seek help from private sector doctors.

On Moates' first trip to her new physician she learned on top of everything else that she was pregnant again.

Given the choice to start treatments or give birth, Jennifer chose the latter. With complications from the beginning, Jennifer's daughter was born after 26 weeks of pregnancy and weighed only two pounds.

While Moates went through surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, her infant, who is now 18, remained in neonatal intensive care for seven months.

The young woman found herself as the single mom of a toddler, an infant with special medical needs and a cancer patient.

Just a trip to the store would require one shopping cart with the toddler in front and the baby plus oxygen and a heart monitor in the buggy, and a second cart to hold groceries. The trip often took several hours.

But with the help of her parents, Jennifer is a survivor.

Over the years, Moates and Bishop met and formed a lasting friendship. Last July both Moates, who was in the banking industry, and Bishop, who worked for a doctor's office, knew their jobs were coming to an end.

One night over dinner they were lamenting their career situations when one of their husbands suggested the pair look at starting their own business with Bishop's medical background and Moates' banking experience as building blocks.

What happened next is what they call their “ah-ha“ moment. As the pair's “wheels began to turn“ they aimed their sights on starting a medical supply business.

The idea of starting a store in Newberry for those dealing with cancer began to take form. Bishop was searching for vendors when she found lotions made by a company called Lindi. She e-mailed the company for assistance and was given the name of a company called Essential Women.

Essential Women helps businesses like Hearts of Hope find vendors. They told Bishop that within a week she would be on the mailing list for the vendors she needed.

But within that week, Bishop went in for her routine mammogram. The budding entrepeneur learned on Oct. 5, 2007 that she had breast cancer. The same day she received two boxes full of vendor catalogs.

“God knew I needed more information about this business,“ she said.

Moates, knowing what her friend was going through, told Bishop, “You have 15 minutes to cry and then decide if you will fight it or if it will fight you. You have to keep focused on the future. Calm down, get information from your doctors, make a sound decision and stick with it.“

“I felt as if I have been hit by a freight train,“ said Bishop of the diagnosis.

In the past few months, Bishop had a mastectomy and radiation. She will also have to get follow-up mammograms on her remaining breast every two months.

Neither the pitfalls of health or the trials of obtaining a business loan have stopped the two survivors.

With a “network of unbelievable friends and family“ the two have turned a house on Wilson Road into a unique shop.

“We have to sell things to remain in business, but we also want to give as well,“ Bishop explains of their business philosophy.

The front room of Hearts of Hope is filled with gift items. Many are therapeutic, such as soy candles, singing bears, encouraging books, cookbooks, jewelry, pocketbooks, angel figurines, natural lotions and non-metallic deodorants.

Another room contains compression stockings and Silver Sole socks that are good for diabetics or anyone else with blood circulation concerns.

A bedroom holds a selection of camisoles that accommodate drains and provide soft and comfortable shapes for those recovering from breast cancer surgeries. Also, the women say these are a must-have during radiation treatments.

The shop also stocks silicone breast forms, prostheses, and partial forms for breast cancer patients.

On the racks and shelves of Hearts of Hope are bras, swimsuits and other specialized apparel for women who have had mastectomies.

The two are also trained in fitting breast cancer patients and have a special private fitting room.

Wicking pajamas and pillow cases also help patients get through the night sweats that often accompany chemotherapy treatments.

Another room is filled with awareness materials and educational information. That room features a sitting area where patients can come “just to talk.”

The pair hopes to start support groups.

Moates and Bishop are also working with the American Cancer Society to provide support locally and to foster the Lydia Project. The Lydia project is a group out of Augusta, Ga. that gives female cancer patients a journal, pins and other items in a pocketbook. The group meets on Thursday to pray for patients on its list.

The woman would also like to see the advent of “cancer showers.“ Friends of someone with cancer would be invited to a shower, similar to a wedding or baby shower. The honoree would be showered with items she will need during her treatment and recovery.

They also encourage patients to visit before they start their treatments to have the items they need on hand before starting treatment.

The women at Hearts of Hope hope to hear from cancer survivors about their special needs so the storeowners can better serve them.

The store is located at 1433 Wilson Road. Their phone number is 321-3056 and e-mail is heartsofhopesc@bellsouth.net