10/31/2025
Reflecting on Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day, I’m reminded why breast reconstruction became such a defining part of my journey in plastic surgery.
It’s not simply about restoring what cancer takes away. It’s about helping women reclaim wholeness, identity, and confidence in the face of immense challenge.
“We restore, rebuild, and make whole those parts which nature hath given, but which fortune has taken away. Not so much that it might delight the eye, but that it might buoy up the spirit, and help the mind of the afflicted.”
- Gaspare Tagliacozzi
This truth continues to guide and ground me every day.
💫 Just 2 weeks ago, one of my patients had a routine breast reduction only to learn she had breast cancer. In a moment that would shake anyone, she faced the news with remarkable BRAvery, decisively choosing to undergo bilateral mastectomies with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction.
Her strength, grace, and determination embody the very heart of what this month represents and speaks to the power of breast reconstruction.
Every day, my teams and I have the privilege of caring for women like her, women whose courage reminds us that reconstruction is more than surgery; it’s renewal, resilience, and hope made visible.
⚖️ Last Friday, Congresswomen Kat Kammack (R-FL) and Debbie Dingall (D-MI) with the support of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has introduced new legislation to update the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), ensuring that all breast cancer patients have access unfettered access to comprehensive, reconstructive options.
💬 I invite you to share your story - whether as a patient, survivor, or fellow plastic surgeon - about how breast reconstruction has touched your life or inspired your practice.
Together, we can raise awareness, amplify hope, and continue advocating for those who face breast cancer with courage and BRAvery. 💗
