I chose the DIEP flap procedure with my breast reconstruction. The word I would use to describe the surgery is brutal. I think, in part, this is because the procedure was emotional as well as physical. When a woman has traveled through breast cancer treatment, she’s tired. No, she’s exhausted, from the journey. And then there is reconstruction (if she so chooses). When we reach reconstruction, it’s a milestone. 😊. But this procedure can be very challenging. I remember breaking down after a month with abdominal drains….. my husband had to change the dressings since I could not reach them well enough. I remember sobbing that morning …. Emotionally (and physically), I was spent. That surgery was difficult for me after all the chemo and the double mastectomy. Yet, sixteen months later, my new breasts feel wonderfully normal. It’s my own flesh. I’m grateful for the plastic surgeon who helped me create a new sense of normalcy after mastectomy, and I’m grateful to have regained a part of myself back in the physical sense. Breast cancer (or really any cancer, I imagine) is about endurance. And though our lives are forever changed from having gone through it, we have that opportunity to accept our new normal and move forward. And that includes new flesh-breasts, fluid-filled breasts, or no new breasts at all. I’m just grateful to be here. 🙏🏻

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