A mastectomy is not a boob job! This quote needs to be given to everyone that dares to think a women going through reconstruction is getting better boobs.
The decision to get a mastectomy is one of the most difficult decisions you will make.
It is life-altering: You are losing a very essential part of yourself. There are so many memories you will have when you realise it is gone forever.
It is scary: I had complications from my surgery and it was so scary to think that something that was supposed to save my life – prevent cancer from coming back – could make me so sick.
It is raw: You will be forced to really look at who you are and to accept that you are forever changed.
It is emotional: How can a painful surgery where something is built out of nothing not be emotional. It is an emotional roller coaster.
It takes a part of your womanhood: For me my boobs mean sensuality, sexuality and confidence. It also means nurturing and when that is take away it is a lot to deal with.
It is body changing: Getting new boobs is so sore especially when you think that they remove everything and ten built something completely new. It doesn’t look like you and it feels foreign.
It is a personal choice: Every woman is different and every one will choose something else. For me the choice to reconstruct my boobs was one made out of the necessity to be me again and to get back what cancer took from me.
It is brave: Getting a mastectomy and for me going through reconstruction was one of the bravest things I have had to do. I had to face pain every day and make the choice every day to be brave despite how I am feeling.
It is life saving: This is the only reason that I can make it through every day. Choosing a mastectomy saved my life and will give me many more years with my family.
It is beautiful: A mastectomy and in my case reconstruction made me feel beautiful after cancer made me feel broken.