Heather (00:00):
It was the first time probably in all of the treatment and diagnosis the beginning that I had felt any kind of excitement for an option that I had. I knew that a tissue transfer would be something that I was interested in. Didn’t know it was a thing until I was diagnosed and they said, “Well, this is recommended for you since you need radiation. There’s someone here locally that does it. ” I met with her. She’s the first person in our town to do it. She’s very new. And while she was wonderfully kind, I did not have comfort going with somebody that new. And also the location of where she was wanting to take tissue from, I was uncomfortable with. I was on Facebook doing all the different research and different cancer posts and all the different things. And somebody said, “I just went to Louisiana.” And I immediately was like, “Where did you go?

(00:47):
This is the second time I’ve heard Louisiana. I’m sure it’s the same place.” That’s when I kind of found out most people find this location after they’ve had two, three, four, six, seven surgeries and was just so incredibly thankful that I found you guys before I did anything. I had my first phone call with the nurse navigator, Liz. She was the first person to walk me through clear options for what I wanted, validating the fact that I was not interested in implants, which at the time felt very foreign. It felt like it might not be even an option. The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery has answered and addressed concerns that were on my list that I didn’t have to bring up. There was no other cancer place in the entire country that did that. I was assigned to Dr. Zafar. Liz called me and said that that’s who they had recommended to me.

(01:50):
I started researching Dr. Zafar once I heard her name and heard amazing things of her and also just was encouraged by other patients to trust the center’s process for who your surgeon is, who would be best fit for your case, and just decided that I was going to trust that process. And so I didn’t meet Zafar until the day before my surgery for our pre-op. And it was phenomenal. Her bedside manner is absolutely amazing. She’s so kind and immediately addressed any of my concerns. So through my research, the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery is the only place that we’ll do an SGAP. That was incredibly important to me. When I was looking at other tissue donor sites with different surgeons, I didn’t have enough tissue for a deep. So really SGAP was my only option for how I carried my weight anyways, except for the pap flap.

(02:46):
And I immediately said, “I’m not interested in that. ” So I had an SGAP procedure done and I’m just so thankful because it does feel so natural. It does feel like myself. The first week of recovery was mentally incredibly intense.

(03:02):
It was hard. But I met with Dr. Zafar for my seven-day post-op. She said, “First of all, you look normal. All of the swelling, this is very normal. You look really good.” She said, “I want you to think through why you came here. Why did you choose this center? This was important to you. ” She said, “I want you to think three years out from now. Don’t think three weeks or three months. Think three years out when you don’t have to deal with implants. You don’t have to deal with more surgeries. You are your own body and you are healthy.” And that really, really grounded me. Very helpful. I have been telling everybody who will listen to come to the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery. Oh, the team was so great. Yeah, the nurses were so sweet. It feels very much not like a hospital, which is lovely.

(03:51):
It feels like people who are caring for you and really know who you are, know what’s going on. I did not feel like a number. I did not feel like just another patient. I felt like someone who was, “My success was your success, and I felt that. ” I would say that the travel is worth it. I mean, we have four young kids and a coffee shop and travel is not easy. I’d say that. We do have a great support system. However, I think that even if you had to search for a support system, that the travel is completely worth it. There’s not another place in the states like this. I would say if you’re nervous about making that phone call, the information that is offered through that consultation call is completely worth your time. And I’m so thankful that I chose the S gap because I’m seven weeks out and I’m able to play with my kids and pick them up and get back to normal life.

(04:49):
I want all women to know that taking a step back, taking a deep breath and saying, “I’m going to advocate for myself and I’m going to find the best option that there is. ” Whether that’s traveling or different surgery options, it’s completely worth it. I think it’s a light in an incredibly dark time of my life, that there are only so many options out there and I was dealt this hand for whatever reason. And to have a sinner who is committed to making women’s lives better has been an incredible gift, for sure.