How 360º Painting Franchisee Belinda Wiesehan Is Spreading Breast Cancer Awareness By Sharing Her Story

For Belinda Wiesehan, co-owner of 360° Painting of Gastonia-Rock Hill, Breast Cancer Awareness Month hits particularly close to home. In 2017 Wiesehan lost her best friend to breast cancer after a decade-long fight with the disease.

“My friend and I had a big trip planned to go out to Napa Valley and do all these fun things, but she called me the night before in tears to tell me she had breast cancer,” said Wiesehan. “She fought hard for eight years and unfortunately lost her battle in November of 2017.”

A year later, Wiesehan herself was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine screening.

“The doctors told me they had found something suspicious, and I knew immediately something was wrong,” she said. “The type was low-grade invasive ductal carcinoma and HER2 positive, which is the most common form of breast cancer and the most curable. The genetic test came back negative, so that told us that it was environmental or stress-related. We decided to do a lumpectomy to take the tumor out, and after surgery the lymph node that was removed was cancer-free, which was good news. Luckily, I did not need chemotherapy. The doctors suggested 20 treatments of radiation, and off we went.”

Wiesehan began radiation treatments in 2018, and by the end of the year, her cancer was in remission. “The last day of radiation, I cried my eyes out because I was so happy and sad and still so fearful, all at the same time,” she said. “During that time, it just felt like it was all around me. It wasn’t just me and my friend — I can count 25 people I’m close to who either had cancer or have helped a loved one through it.”

Today, Wiesehan says she is proud to be partnered with 360° Painting, a company that is committed to supporting a fight that means so much to her personally.

Throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Premium Service Brands, the multi-brand franchisor behind 360º Painting, donated one percent of all recognized revenue to the University of Virginia Cancer Center, specifically to fund breast cancer research. The UVA Cancer Center has been ranked in the top 10% of cancer treatment centers in the United States.

“This is a cause that is near and dear to all of our hearts,” said Samantha Lin, Premium Service Brands’ vice president of marketing. “Just about everybody has been affected by breast cancer, whether they’ve had it themselves or supported a friend or family member who has struggled with it. It’s so important to us that we take an active role in the fight against breast cancer.”

Wiesehan notes how important it is to keep curating awareness around breast cancer. “It’s amazing the material out there to help people — if you really look, you can find help,” she said. “I am currently putting good things into my body to prevent recurrence and trying to eat fewer animal products, as well as to cut back on sugar and alcohol. When Paul’s [Flick, Premium Service Brands’ CEO] team reached out to me to hear my story, it made me feel like it was going to make my voice that much louder as an advocate. We’re going to create so much more awareness, and it’s going to make a big difference.”

The startup costs for a 360° Painting franchise range from $99,125 to $139,500. The franchise fee is $62,500. To learn more about franchising with 360° Painting, visit https://www.premiumservicebrands.com/360-painting/.