Linda (00:00):
Well, when I found the pucker in my breast, I said to my husband, “Ooh, what’s that? That doesn’t look good.” And he said, “Yeah, no, that doesn’t look good.” So I went to the doctor and she said, “Well, I’m really sorry. You’ve got breast cancer.” And I have to say that my initial reaction was I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and then something hit me and I just went, “Wait a minute, I’ve got this. ” And no matter what it is, I didn’t know what my diagnosis was. I didn’t know how long I had. I could have only had a year. I didn’t know what treatment I’d need, but I knew that whatever it was, I was prepared for it. And that’s because 15 to 20 years ago, I had some pretty inspirational people who touched me deeply who had been through some pretty traumatic health experiences, but they were so positive.

(00:51):
It’s like, wow, if I ever go through anything like that, I want to be like them. So we have a choice. Do we go up the mountain barefoot and end up with bloody feet or do we go up the mountain and put our shoes on and get up it? And I knew that I just had to get up that mountain and it didn’t matter. So I was very positive right from the beginning and that’s how I embraced it and it just made it so easy. Well, I went to a local plastic surgeon because in my initial research, I was looking at local options and she goes, “Well, you can do implants or you can do this and then there’s this. ” And you could tell that the next thing coming out of her mouth was not going to be something that she really supported, “But it’s a really hard recovery.

(01:32):
It’s very hard.” And I said, “Well, what is that? ” And she said, “It’s the DIEP flap.” And I said, “Is that like a tummy tuck?” And she goes, “Yeah, kind of. ” And I raised my hands in her office. I said, “Thank you, breast cancer.” She must have thought I was nuts, but I knew because I had already been positive about my outcome. I was already there in the right frame of mind, and I knew that that was the path I wanted to choose. So I joined support groups and I got on a couple of different ones. There’s one specifically for the breast center here in New Orleans, and then there’s one general one, and I saw so many botched jobs and people who had so many complications and consistently the patients who had come through the breast center here in New Orleans had just amazing results.

(02:23):
And oh my goodness, the doctors here, the microsurgeons are artists. They took women who had saggy old lady boobs, for lack of a better way to put it, and they turned them into the most beautiful, sculpted breasts that I’ve ever seen. So that was how I came to the breast centers because of the consistent, amazing artwork that the doctors here put out.

(02:50):
I wish I could just share the pictures because they’re all so amazing. They’re so amazing. I knew there was just too many positives that came out of my interactions with the online support groups that it was a no-brainer. I knew that was my answer. Having options outside of your local area is so important because you only know what’s local if you don’t explore other options. So looking beyond and seeing the amazing opportunity you have to go somewhere where all they do is breast cancer reconstruction, you know that they’re experts at what they do. So it’s important that you at least weigh out your options. And before you decide to stay local, at least have that consultation with New Orleans and see what they can do for you because I guarantee you that as many surgeries as they have done, as many surgeries as they’ve done, they’re going to do a lot better job than somebody who might just do a few of them here and there.

(03:50):
The support over the phone is phenomenal. I never felt like I did not have support through every surgery that I’ve had, through every question, through every fear. I even, with the drains, I pulled my own drains and I’m a pro at it. Hope Lodge is the reason I have been able to come to New Orleans and stay because if I had to pay for hotels every time, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. And they are wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I actually started a fundraiser and replaced all of their pans and I have a little leaf on their support tree. So when I got my diagnosis, my husband actually took it harder than I did. I hit it with positivity, but he was so worried about what the outcome would be. He was worried about whether or not he would lose me. When he really was able to breathe a sigh of relief is when he saw how amazing my surgeries were and how well I was doing.

(04:49):
And then he was able to step back and say, “Okay, I think I can relax now.” They do everything they can to accommodate the caregiver, which is so important. We as women carry the what ifs for more than just ourselves. We do it for our children. We do it for our spouses and whoever we have coming, but the whole caregiver piece of it is so easily navigated because the support is there through the center to help you so that you know what to share with your caregiver when you’re setting up all the arrangements. So when I look at myself now, I just have nothing, nothing bad about my breast cancer journey. There’s nothing bad that came out of it. I’ve got so much to be thankful for, and a lot of it is because I chose to come here. So much of it is because I chose to come to the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery.

(05:46):
It’s amazing. Oh, I’ve got goosebumps. I can’t tell you that the Linda that is sitting here right now is the best Linda ever. And I have to say, 85% of that is thanks to Dr. Zafar and Dr. Cabiling.