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YOUR BODY, YOUR BREASTS
To learn more about the breast surgery options
available to you as a breast cancer patient, call
214-947-6296
.
Woman
to
woman
◂
PLASTIC SURGERY
How plastic surgery helped Karen Soderstrom
overcome breast cancer and love her body
On
Feb. 19, 2013, I heard the four
little words that all women dread: You
have breast cancer. I was only 42 years
old, married to the love of my life,
and raising two beautiful daughters.
Needless to say, I was determined to
beat this thing.
Fortunately, we caught it early,
and within two weeks, we’d met with
every doctor involved with my care at
Methodist Richardson Medical Center.
I felt so comfortable with everyone
and liked that they presented me
with options.
While I only had tumors in my right
breast, I ultimately chose to have a
double mastectomy. It’s a hard decision
for any woman, but three factors made
it easier for me.
First, it reduced the chance of cancer
in my other breast. Second, I’m young
enough that I want to have a feminine
look, and it was easier to reconstruct
symmetrical breasts if both sets of
breast tissue were removed. Third, I
had the amazing support of my family.
My husband told me, “You’ll always be
beautiful in my eyes.”
My breast surgery took place on
March 13. Breast surgeon Jenevieve
Hughes, MD, first removed the breast
tissue, then plastic surgeon Denton
Watumull, MD, FACS, placed
temporary implants that would later
be expanded to the size I wanted.
Throughout the entire process in the
following months, I appreciated how
honest and straightforward he was with
me while still being sympathetic to
my situation.
As for my family, humor was our
coping mechanism; we looked for it in
everything. My friends teased me about
my new breast size, and that reminded
me that this was a process and to focus
on how great I’d look in the end. And
they were right: My breasts today feel
and look like real breasts, complete
with newly tattooed nipples. It’s
amazing what modern plastic surgery
can do.
As much as I love my body, more
important is the relief that the cancer
is gone. Every time I look at myself in
the mirror, I see the scars, and they’re
still a reminder — a reminder that I
accomplished something really huge in
fighting cancer.
Everyone has their own
feelings and desires
about what they
want done to their
body, but I encourage
women facing cancer to
have hope. You can beat this!
Methodist Richardson Medical Center
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❁
Fall 2015
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