Breast reconstruction awareness day, #BRADay2020 is this Wednesday, October 21st. I have cordially been invited to make a presentation at Microsoft this week to educate the attendees on options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. I was asked by a dear friend, Thomas, a Microsoft employee, what the meaning was behind all of the DIEPC platform I began to build in January of 2015. So, I will begin by telling you about DiepCJourney: What’s in the name?
After a second breast cancer diagnosis, I chose to have DIEP flap breast reconstruction after a double mastectomy in May of 2014. When I returned from my surgery, I began to write about it for more of a cathartic experience. I then discovered less than 25% of women and men are aware or told about their options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. I began to think about how I could educate others about options, breast cancer recovery, sharing evidence-based information, and the plethora of other insights I gleaned from my own personal Journey.
The Cultural Heritage of DiepCJourney
I looked into what writing a blog meant and how I could start one. A dear friend of mine, an artist named Megan, began working with me on a photo and platform ideas to develop a blog. We are both of Irish decent. As our conversations cultivated and the blog idea developed, our Irish heritage was woven into the artwork.
She drew my portrait and enhanced it with the background of an Irish sea with the cliffs in the background. I have been fortunate to travel a great deal throughout my life. I loved writing while traveling even as a young child. Adding the word Journey felt right to me. I added the procedure I had, DIEP, deep inferior epigastric perforator, the first initial of my last name, “C”, after the word DIEP and tied it all together with DiepCJourney. On March 17, 2015, Megan and I decided St. Patrick’s Day was the best day to open the blog.
The standing joke in our home is when I asked my husband’s opinion on the name, DiepCJourney, he looked at me and said, “You know everyone is just going to be searching for boats.” I went with my gut and kept the name.
The Name for The Foundation
Shortly after sharing my blog on social media I felt another calling. The pursuit to open a nonprofit Foundation was encouraged by two men, both whose names also ended in the letter C, our oldest son, and my reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo. It all was just meant to be I suppose. Thus, the name DiepCFoundation for my nonprofit was chosen.
When I speak to others for the first time about what I do now, they often tell me I was led to this work. I cannot agree with them more. If you were to ask me in early January of 2014 what I thought I would be doing in five years, it wouldn’t have been this. I was head long into my advanced degree in Teacher Leadership. Opening a blog after a second breast cancer diagnosis and successful breast reconstruction was not even on the radar.
But I am beyond grateful. I am lucky, blessed, and inspired ever day to continue this work. On very few occasions, I have been called “shameful”, “ridiculous”, “inappropriate”, “insensitive” and thrown under the bus more than once but not enough to stop my passion for serving others. I understand folks are affected by breast cancer, and mean no harm, so you carry on. 2020 has certainly not been easy on any of us so I tend to give folks a lot of leeway, extra patience, and stay the course. We all travel rough seas now and again, don’t we?
I wish you strength and courage no matter what challenges you face in life. Surround yourself with those who will lift you up and carry you through your darkest days. I have set my compass in this direction and plan to stay the course on this Journey with conviction. My fortune is those who are on this Journey with me and I am forever grateful.
Move over you are taking up too much of the bench in this fictional row boat 🚣♀️ we call life so that I may sit next to you. If not physically, virtually because I want to continue to learn with you and take the oars when needed. Carry on mate!
Well hello Lady K and yes I have plenty of room in the boat of life! A virtual cruise liner. Learning together and pulling together always! Carry on mate!
Thanks so much for such an uplifting comment.
~ Terri
I’m looking for information on DIEP flap surgery failures, as I experienced last year. I never thought I’d be in this 2 percent category. You can read about it on my blog at https://lifeafterwhy.com/home/when-you-find-yourself-in-the-one-to-two-percent-of-medical-statistics. Thanks for your commitment to this subject.
What an amazing story Sheri. I do know less than a handful of women who have had flap-failure, thus the low percentage. You and your surgeon sound like you both came to terms with this unfortunate event for you both. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I look forward to reading your blog further.
~ Terri