Getting the Word Out: Breast Reconstruction Awareness

By: Amanda Lewis

My life, like the lives of so many, has been touched more than once by breast cancer, so I’m always pleased to see anyone spreading the word about fundraising or awareness campaigns. Last October, I took part in a fundraising walk much like the American Cancer Society’s  Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event, although mine was through the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It was during this event that I learned about an important breast cancer issue that I think deserves more attention.

We’ve all probably heard from our friends, families, and the media about different breast cancer awareness campaigns, but maybe you’re not familiar with breast reconstruction awareness efforts. Breast reconstruction is surgery to restore a woman’s breasts after a mastectomy or significant lumpectomy. It can be an important step in helping a woman to feel whole after the loss of one or both breasts, and in helping her heal, both physically and emotionally.

There are those who find it shocking to discuss openly the topic of surgery especially in relation to breasts, but these taboos do us no justice. I have met and talked with many women, both during my time fundraising and participating in breast cancer awareness efforts who wear their surgery scars as proof of the battle they won again this horrible disease; proof that they not only were diagnosed, but had also overcome and defeated this enemy. But I have also met those who have felt as though their lumpectomy or mastectomy were constant reminders of the emotional and physical onslaught breast cancer was on their lives. A reminder each day that something was taken from them, but there are options available to, at the very least, minimize the physical evidence left behind.

Breast reconstruction has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few decades, with results that can look and feel extremely natural. Women no longer need to fear looking disfigured after a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Unfortunately, studies have found that only a small percentage of breast cancer patients know about their reconstruction options – a fact that could lead them to choose treatment paths that aren’t as good as they could be.

What Are the Reconstruction Options?

After a mastectomy, a woman can choose from a few different breast reconstruction options, according to The Plastic Surgery Group, an Albany practice that is very involved in a number of breast cancer awareness efforts around here. These are the most popular choices:

• Tissue expansion and implant reconstruction: After breast tissue is removed, a woman can have her breast shape restored with breast implants, but most women require tissue expansion first. A tissue expander is a temporary implant that is gradually expanded over weeks or months with regular injections of saline. This allows the tissue to stretch and make room for a breast implant. After the tissue and skin have expanded enough, the plastic surgeon switches out the expander for a long-term breast implant. This method can create beautiful and natural-looking results, just as with regular breast augmentation.
• Flap reconstruction: With this method, a surgeon takes a flap of skin and tissue from another area of a patient’s body, such as the abdomen or back. The surgeon carefully moves this flap to the breast area and shapes it to re-create the breast mound. These procedures are more complex than breast implant reconstruction because they involve multiple surgical sites, and because the blood supply must be maintained in order for the tissue to survive in its new home. This method creates very natural, soft results that are the patient’s own living tissue.

These options are covered by health insurance, which was legally mandated in the U.S. way back in 1998. Unfortunately, many patients aren’t adequately informed about their rights when it comes to breast reconstruction. For example, many women don’t know that insurance even covers procedures to make an unaffected breast match the reconstructed breast. It also covers procedures performed to restore the appearance of the nipples and areolas.

Research has shown that completing breast reconstruction is one of the most important steps in helping a cancer patient move on with her life. Some patients choose not to pursue reconstruction, but for many, it restores a sense of femininity and confidence after an emotionally trying time.

How Can You Help?

When I first learned about the lack of awareness surrounding breast reconstruction options, I found it really troubling, especially because it’s just a question of education. So now that you know, too, what can you do about it?

The driving group behind awareness efforts in the U.S. is Breast Reconstruction Awareness USA. They put on events nationwide each year during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day (BRA Day) will be on Oct. 21. Here are some handy resources to help you help them:

• Event starter guide: Explains how to become an affiliate if you’d like to hold your own event
• Event ideas: Provides a head-start with info on fundraising efforts, seminars, contests, walks, and more
• How to donate: Learn how to send funds to this reputable group

The organization is just a few years old, but this year it already expanded to offer more events all year long, rather than just on BRA Day itself. Check out the group’s frequently updated Facebook page to see recent events all over the country.

I plan to keep an eye out for events here in the Capitol District, and I’m considering putting something together myself. My workplace always collects funds for breast cancer awareness, so I intend to use that as an opportunity to share reconstruction information with my co-workers.

I think word of mouth can be a hugely powerful tool, and I can’t think of a better cause than helping women win the fight against breast cancer.

*The article above is a sponsored post for which I was compensated either monetarily or with a gift. I value my reader’s trust and try to provide information that I feel is relevant to my audience, and since I am actively involved with the American Cancer Society’s efforts in the fight against breast cancer this was a natural collaboration. ~Maliha