Darla (00:00):
My name is Darla. I live in Watson, Louisiana. Some people call it Live Oak. My family is there, my sons and grandchildren. I did have cancer. Oh, I was in my 30s, I think first time I had cancer. And it was in the right breast. The first time I thought my life was over. As soon as they said, “You have cancer.” I didn’t know what it was. I just thought it was death. That’s the way I perceived it to be. So they did a lumpectomy and radiation, which was new at the time. And so I always checked myself and I found a lump on the same breast. And so they came at me with the news, “Okay, you can’t do radiation in it again.” Well, what’d I do? Well, we have to remove it. Okay. Well, what about the other one? The other one didn’t show anything at the time.

(00:53):
And I went, “Well, can you take it anyway?” I don’t know if he was surprised that I said that, but I was, “Yes, please, because I will wake up every day checking it myself, wondering if y’all have missed it because it never showed up on any of the mammograms I did. If I hadn’t found it, I’d probably be dead by now.” I found out they have a shelf life. I should have gone back after 10 to 12 years and had those implants removed. And I didn’t know that. Nobody ever told me. So I went back to that doctor that I found out later. He told me, he said, “I don’t do reconstruction of reconstructed breast. You have to go to a specialist.” And he wasn’t one. And so when I left there, I said, “I need to find the best there is that works on reconstructive breasts that have already been done.” My best answer came from a doctor that’s in Alabama.

(01:50):
He used to be in Baton Rouge years and years ago, and I trusted him then, so I got in touch with him. That doctor recommended the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans. I believed him, I trusted him, and I called. Best thing I ever did, I wish I’d have done it first. I love the place. I love the doctors, the people, they’re concerned with you, and they are aware that you’re already upset because your reconstruction was reconstructed and it went badly. And so I was thinking there would be no hope to fix that. But the doctors here are fantastic. The nurses are fantastic. I spent a lot of time with the doctors and the nurses trying to decide how we’re going to repair that. And they were very specific. Dr. Trahan is one I chose. He was very specific on what he could do and how it would work.

(02:47):
And I listened and I felt comfortable. And I really came out with a nice pair. I put it that way. I came out. I was satisfied. Looked good. We got it. Dr. Trahan wanted to make sure I was happy with everything. So I thought it helped me the way I looked. It helped me the way I felt I looked. I could put on the blouse. It looked good. And our dress. And I’m kind of tall. So in order to get something the right … I needed something to fill it out. It meant a lot to me. It really did. I have a small quote farm. I have a miniature bull. He’s eight years old now. I got him as a baby, but he’s 36 inches tall, but he weighs about 800 pounds now. So I have to lean over, put my arms around his neck to give him a hug and a kiss, and he wants me to kiss the side of his face.

(03:38):
So I’m the only one there to do it, so I do it. I’m looking forward to the next step. I have every confidence in the world that it’s going to be perfect. Don’t waste your time going to anyone else. You have to go to New Orleans to the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery. That’s the best place. That’s the best doctors.