Category: News

Breast Reconstruction Clubhouse Discussion

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This past week, I was fortunate to have Roberta Albany and Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo join me as moderators for a breast reconstruction clubhouse discussion. Clubhouse is a fairly new app for iPhone users. The sessions generally last an hour in length. Think of it as a casual phone conversation with the members who join. It is not recorded, or at least does not have that feature yet. There are moderators who can invite those who “raise their hand” using an icon on the app to come “up to the stage”. They are invited to speak by a moderator when they raise their hand. Once invited to speak, they unmute their microphone to begin their question, comment, or thoughts. The topic I chose was “Breast Reconstruction Concerns and Questions Answered”. The discussion and information provided by Roberta and Dr. C was both enlightening and informative. I want to provide some of Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Truth: Headlines and Research

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Are you considering breast reconstruction? When I was faced with a second breast cancer diagnosis, had a double mastectomy, and began to do my own research about breast reconstruction, I was either oversaturated with information or wanted to shut down from information overload. When researching breast reconstruction, how do you distinguish the truth in headlines and research? The Moment of Truth The moment of truth begins when you are diagnosed or find you have a high risk of getting breast cancer due to a gene mutation. This moment is most often at the office of your healthcare provider. An oncologist, radiologist, breast surgeon, or genetic counselor are the most likely people to give you this news. You walk out the door with pamphlets and information. They might give you resources for online support, virtual meetings with other survivors, or websites to research. I hear so many individuals in this situation Continue Reading →

Perfusion Monitor: Flap Monitoring in Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction

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Plastic surgeons use medical devices in reconstructive surgery to optimize patient outcomes in breast reconstruction. I receive a number of inquiries from ladies asking how a flap is monitored after tissue-based breast reconstruction. This is a concerning topic for patients who know the intricacies of microsurgery but do not always think to put it on their list of questions to ask their surgeon during their consult. I would like to present this information about a perfusion monitor used for flap monitoring in microsurgical breast reconstruction. I reached out to Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA in San Antonio who performed my DIEP flap breast reconstruction to tell me about the monitoring system they find great success with. The information I was given about flap monitoring at my consult gave me and my husband a great deal of comfort. We felt having Dr. C being able to monitor the flap all evening Continue Reading →

FDA Approval of Breast Cancer Vaccine

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The FDA recently opened the door for a phase 1 of a particular type of breast cancer vaccine to begin this spring. This Phase 1 clinical trial of the vaccine was approved for use in humans with triple negative breast cancer, considered to be one of the most difficult types of breast cancers to treat. As a patient advocate, the FDA approval of the phase 1 clinical trial for this breast cancer vaccine comes as good news. There are various types of breast cancer. A majority, around 80%, are estrogen receptor positive often referred as ER+. This means the cancer cells grow in response to the hormone estrogen. Women and men who have breast cancers that are ER/PR+ are prescribed medication that blocks the hormone receptors, preventing hormones from binding to them thus helping the breast cancer from coming back. A pathology report for what type of breast cancer you Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction and Lessons Learned from 2020

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We have come to the end of a historic year, the year of poignant moments far too many to mention. There are stories to tell and a whole lot of reflection to do this year from patients and physicians. In my corner of the universe, I will reflect on breast reconstruction and lessons learned from 2020. Breast cancer, for many, brings a sense of complete loss of control, feelings of helplessness, and something you have little control over. Sound familiar to the events of 2020? There is a lot to understand about the disease of breast cancer, how it challenges scientist spending their lifetime finding a cure, and as we close out 2020, some uplifting news about a new clinical trial for a vaccine focusing on a certain type of breast cancer. A lesson we learned from 2020 and one we marveled at, scientist putting into practice the methodology they Continue Reading →

Curious How to Set up a Birthday Fundraiser?

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Each year as December rolls around and I celebrate another trip around the sun, I am reminding of the many blessings bestowed on me. I witness a great deal of generosity during the holidays and toward the end of the year during giving season. There are simple ways to help organizations and I would like to share one easy example. Are you curious how to set up a birthday fundraiser? Easy Steps for Fundraising Step One: Log into your Facebook page. Step Two: In the top search bar, type in the words, “Fundraisers”. Step Three: Click the “>” arrow to go to this page: Step Four: Click on the blue bar that says, “Select Nonprofit”. Step Five: In the search engine on Facebook, type in the name of a nonprofit of your choice you would like to support and click on the nonprofit with the photo of their logo. Last Continue Reading →

Health Literacy Impact and What are we Doing to Improve It?

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Coauthored by Terri Coutee and Minas Chrysopoulo, MD 2020 has been a disruptive year in health care. We are learning a great deal from the avalanche of stresses put upon our health care during the global pandemic. One thing remains a constant and important cog in the wheel, the impact and importance of health literacy. I had an opportunity to engage in conversation recently with Gareth Presch and Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, founder of – Toliman Health. Let’s look at the key elements. Access to information Understanding Information Using the Information These three basic components are what patients actively engage in to make the appropriate decisions for their health. Although looking at it on paper this seems simple enough, the act of engaging in health literacy becomes far more complex for a patient diagnosed with a any condition. It is the process patients must understand and actively take part in. Often Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction Education and the Circle of Giving

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Wednesday of this past week, October 21, 2002, was BRADay2020. BRADay is a daily event for me, providing education and resources to empower women and men with information to make an informed decision about options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. For the second year in a row, I was graciously invited by Microsoft to make a presentation about my personal Journey for their Microsoft Gives campaign but more importantly to educate . I left there with a full heart. This is what happened after my presentation on breast reconstruction education and the circle of giving. The presentation was conducted using the Microsoft Teams program. Since I have been using ZOOM to record videos for the Foundation, this was a new platform for me. Thomas set up a one on one meeting with me before the formal presentation to walk me through the ins and outs of Microsoft Teams. He made Continue Reading →

WHISTalks Live: Shared Decision Making

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Gareth Presch is Founder and CEO of World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS). As part of his work he curates WHISTalks sharing a variety of topics to reach a global audience on various themes. He invited Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, Founder of the Breast Advocate app, and me to the program for an interview.  The video can be viewed in this blog. Here is a summary and highlights of our WHISTalks Live on shared decision-making. The Importance of the Patient Voice in Shared Decision Making Dr. Chrysopoulo mentions that shared decision making provides opportunity across a variety of health specialties for patients to have a voice in their health care decisions. He points out that in breast cancer 40% of patients do not feel they have had a voice in their treatment decision making. In breast reconstruction 57% of patients do not feel they make a high-quality decision as they define it. Continue Reading →

The Power of Patience in the Pandemic

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Do you feel like you are tapped out as we enter into the second half of 2020 continuing to adapt to a new kind of society since the coronavirus outbreak? I seem to have felt it more this week than any other. The common question starting most conversations seems to be, “How are you doing?” This is really asking, “How are you holding up through the pandemic?” How are you practicing the power of patience in the pandemic? A bit of Pandemic History The plague, a fatal infection arrived in Constantinople in 541 CE, Common Era, sometime used in place of AD. The plague spread across Europe, Asia, north Africa, and Arabia killing nearly 30 to 50 million people. This was half the world’s population.    The Black Death, a pandemic in Europe in 1347, took a shocking 200 million lives all in just four years. Science, not being as Continue Reading →