How breast reconstruction changed me is one survivor’s story. It is the topic of a recent video that was added to the DiepCFounation.org YouTube video channel. It was such an honor to meet and talk to Jan about her thoughts after being diagnosed with breast cancer and how choosing DIEP flap breast reconstruction allowed her to “conquer cancer”.
Jan and I were Facebook friends for a while but never met in person. We finally had the opportunity after attending a fundraiser with other breast cancer survivors. We decided to spend the following day together getting to know each other. We met for coffee and the conversation began as it does with so many other women I meet who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. She spoke about her fears after being diagnosed and the impact it had on her life. We shared our stories and the conversation flowed easily.
Jan is a professional in the communications industry. She describes how choosing DIEP flap breast reconstruction and using her own tissue helped her regain the womanhood she felt she lost after her diagnosis. Jan explains the feeling of conquering cancer when it was removed from her body during surgery. Although she has physical scars to show she has had surgery she also feels she has the scars proving she conquered cancer.
Jan tells the viewers no matter what decision you make, to reconstruct or not, the feeling of conquering cancer is what gave her the confidence to move beyond the diagnosis. She was kind enough to introduce me to some of her co-workers who supported her unconditionally through her surgery and what it meant to her. I witnessed first-hand the bond they shared and the inspiration they drew from Jan’s story of survival through her reconstruction surgery.
Jan felt so good to be able to use the tissue that she had in her tummy area to reconstruct her breast. She explains the feeling of going to sleep at night feeling her own tissue after reconstruction and how it helped her maintain her feeling of womanhood. It gave her confidence in the decision she made to reconstruct her breast.
It is an honor to know other survivors like Jan. We both hope that stories of survivor-ship and the choice to have breast reconstruction offers women hope knowing you will be losing your breast after a breast cancer diagnosis. We both know it is not an easy process to go through and we honor all those women and men who are facing mastectomy and the difficult decision they face to have breast reconstruction after a breast cancer diagnosis.