One candle can light the dark

Two years ago, as I have previously described, I was "restored" to my pre-cancer self.  My breast reconstruction repaired the amputation that saved my life.    When I woke up from my reconstruction surgery and, in the prone position of my hospital bed, could not see my feet past my reconstructed (albeit swollen) breasts - I was elated!   Giddy!  I had entered Faulkner Hospital in Boston early that morning as a "two-dimensional woman-boy", and went home two days later a re-blossomed woman.

Upon my arrival home, the first thing I did was to ascend the stairs to my bedroom, reach into my closet, and slip into a strapless dress that I had not been able to wear. ( I shall describe this humorous umoment in a later blog.)   A few weeks later, the healing well under way and the pain subsiding, I began to fully and completely realize the lift that this corrective surgery provided to me and those I love.  The depression I was unaware I had suffered was gone.  As a result, I felt energized, full of new possibility, and more confident in my wellness.  The train was put back on the tracks, the world again my "oyster".

Wanting the same restorative opportunity for others, I began to contemplate the lack of information that had been available to me prior to my surgery.  As much as they were physical, the scars from my mastectomies were even more emotional.  I knew first hand how so many women like me suffered the emotional consequences of breast loss, and wanted to help every one achieve restoration.   I began researching, speaking with my doctors, phoning LifeCell (makers of AlloDerm used in my reconstruction), and surveying breast cancer groups.  A deeply involved activist and breast cancer fundraiser for the prior eight years, why had I NEVER heard about the AlloDerm option?  I made up my mind I would, I MUST, work to change that, to fill the information void.  Thank goodness for my supportive and patient family and friends.  This endeavor has compelled me for the past few years like a ninja on caffeine. Weird analogy, huh?

I learned that the AlloDerm*/implant reconstruction technique (*also referred to by some as supplemental tissue, donor tissue matrix, and acellular dermal matrix) had been conceived many years prior.  I became enraged that this procedural option was available all while those like me suffered.  I discovered that this surgery was virtually unknown outside closed plastic surgery communities.  To me, this was tantamount to a sin of ommission, a violation of women's rights!  Thousands of women, I realized, were making half-informed decisions regarding breast cancer treatment, surgery, and reconstruction.  A champion of others from the day I was born (both a blessing and a curse), I turned my anger into action, starting an impassioned crusade to raise awareness.  I mapped out a strategic communications plan targeted to reach entities I beleived could help spread the word - breast cancer communities, medical and social work groups that serve as health contact points for women, local and national media.........

The attached clip is one result.  Reporter Jennifer Vaughn, a true champion herself of the breast cancer cause, was equally upset that our interview was the first time she had heard of this option!   I knowingly sacrificed my privacy to make these communications opportunities happen.   There is no time now for regret.  My privacy seemed a small price to pay for a better fate for so many others.

What I learned, what my children experienced through my actions (one of life's most valuable lessons), and what I hope to inspire with this blog entry, is this phrase I entered in my high school yearbook way back when.....ONE PERSON CAN LIGHT A CANDLE IN THE DARK!!!  All it takes  -  a belief that truth prevails, a willingness to boldly act, and a passion to never give up.

The attached video is an example of how one person can instigate change, how information leads to empowerment, and how that informed empowerment can affect the lives of others.

Woman Seeks To Spread Message To Others

2 min 23 sec - Nov 18, 2009
for reconstruction, but her search to restore her body to what it once was has finally paid off. ... Donna Bramante Indelicato breast cancer AlloDerm ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SijIP5aTnFo

Raising Fun and Funds