On November 7, 2019, one day after my prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, my surgeon visited me in the recovery center. She asked me how I was feeling. I was honest and said I was overwhelmed. She responded with a comment that really struck a chord. She said:… Continue reading
“You have cancer,” said my doctor. My mother had heard the same when I was six. Hers had metastasized by the time she got diagnosed. A devastating experience for my family. Now it was me. About to lose it, I asked myself: “what would I say to a client if she were in… Continue reading
I was 31. I had a 2-year-old. I was 6 months pregnant. I had cancer. I remember it all happened so fast. Seeing the look on my husband's face when I was diagnosed made it reality. What was thought to be an abscess milk duct was instead a deadly disease. After my diagnosis,… Continue reading
It was the third time I had seen my doctor about debilitating left hip pain. I didn’t have bursitis, and my physical therapy did nothing, so my doctor ordered an MRI. She walks in the exam room and tells me that the MRI shows suspicion for metastatic breast… Continue reading
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. Hormone- receptor positive breast cancers – meaning the cancer cells grow in response to estrogen and/or progesterone - are the most common type of breast cancer, representing 75% of all cases. Advances in… Continue reading
Medical Oncologist and Director, Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Projects at NYP/Lawrence Hospital, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center In the last several years, cancer therapy has been expanding exponentially, in particular, a class… Continue reading
For a breast or ovarian cancer survivor, keeping work-based health insurance may be important in covering cancer costs when employment stops, especially if you are currently going through treatment and/or you like your doctors/network. Upon termination of employment, a person… Continue reading
When I found out I had breast cancer and was required to have chemotherapy, which would cause me to lose my hair, I was numb. I almost didn’t believe it and kept pushing it into the back of my mind because I was facing surgery before the chemotherapy. Two months after… Continue reading
As a follow up to our last blog post discussing advances in breast reconstruction, there are numerous options for revising, or fixing a previous breast reconstruction and supplementary procedures that can improve the initial reconstruction to restore women, as much as possible,… Continue reading
I was sitting in the hallway of a hotel somewhere in Pennsylvania. I was a sophomore in college, a counselor on a youth group retreat. It was 2003. Pre-family what’s app and group texting and social media. My mom called me on Saturday night. “I had a doctor’s appointment… Continue reading
