New Meaning to the Term Survivor

"I was diagnosed with breast cancer at one of the most challenging times in my life," says Lori. "My daughter, who had been a runaway, had just returned home, and I had just started a new job a month earlier." Lori found the lump herself, and was devastated when her results came back positive for invasive breast cancer in her right breast. In addition, two weeks after her diagnosis, her teenage daughter found out she was pregnant. "With everything else that was going on, I didn't know how I was going to be strong enough to handle this."

The worst part, according to Lori, was having to tell her parents. Lori's sister had battled breast cancer a few years earlier, and had succumbed at the age of 42. "I dreaded having to tell them that another one of their children might die."

Lori had the option of having a lumpectomy followed by radiation and chemotherapy. However, genetic testing showed that she had the BRCA II gene mutation, which put her at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She made the courageous decision to undergo a bilateral mastectomy. "I couldn't imagine living my life with the fear of recurrence, wondering if I was going to die."

Pushing Past the Fear

A self-described "information person," Lori felt the need to take control by lining up her team of doctors. Lori almost immediately began the process of trying to find the right Orange County breast surgeons to perform her mastectomy and breast reconstruction in Southern California. She got plenty of referrals, and began meeting with and interviewing surgeons one by one. For her mastectomy, she chose Dr. Hisham El-Bayar at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, and for her reconstruction, her search ended with Dr. Andrew Smith.

"Dr. Smith was very gentle and kind. He not only presented you with every possible option, but he took the time to walk you through each of them. He never pressured me to do anything - he left the decision up to me." In addition, Lori can't praise Dr. Smith's staff highly enough, saying that every time she visited the office, she was treated "like royalty."

In June, all of the preparations had been made for Lori's surgery. However, Lori found herself slipping into denial, and told her doctors to postpone her operation while she "went on vacation." She just wanted to take a trip with her son and hide from her problems. Her team of doctors firmly but gently told her, "no." She needed to get her treatment underway, and she needed to do it now.

One month after her diagnosis, Lori underwent a double mastectomy with tissue expanders put in place by Dr. Smith. Tissue expanders get filled at regular intervals, and gradually expand the tissue to accommodate a breast implant. Lori says that the slight "mounds" created by the tissue expanders buoyed her spirits when she awoke from her surgery. "I remember that my sister's breast was just 'lopped off,' and how traumatic that was. I had the appearance of small, cute breasts, which was so much better."

Dr. Smith began gradually filling the tissue expanders one month after Lori's surgery. He added approximately 2 ounces of fluid every two weeks over the course of almost three months. Lori says that she actually looked forward to these visits, largely because of the warmth of Dr. Smith's staff. "They are adoring, and they made me feel beautiful every time I walked into the office."

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Losses and Gains

During this time, Lori was undergoing chemotherapy and losing her hair. She credits a hairdresser friend, whom she calls "my angel," for giving her the gift of self-esteem during this difficult time. She helped Lori transition to very short hair, and then helped her to look and feel beautiful through her hair loss and eventually the re-growth phase. She never felt the need to wear a wig, because she felt that scarves and accessories allowed her to feel more like herself. "I was going through cancer, but I never stopped being who I was."

After Lori had completed chemotherapy, she was finally ready for breast implants. Dr. Smith removed the tissue expanders and replaced them with cohesive silicone gel filled implants. Having always been large-breasted, she opted to go a little smaller than her natural size. Once her incisions had healed, she underwent nipple reconstruction and tattooing to achieve an even more natural look.

Although Lori was very happy with her results, she ultimately chose to have her implants exchanged for a larger size to better fill out her expanded tissue. She credits Dr. Smith with being absolutely dedicated to the satisfaction of his patients. "He is a perfectionist. If there is something you want changed, he does what it takes to change it for you." More recently, Dr. Smith performed some fat grafting for Lori to fill out the sides of her breasts and create the most natural look and feel possible.

Now more than three years after her initial diagnosis, Lori is a busy mother, grandmother, and construction project manager. She is healthy, happy, and living her life to the fullest. After the dark days surrounding her cancer diagnosis, Lori summoned her inner strength and made the decision not to let the disease define her. She says emphatically, "Cancer is something that happened to me; it isn't my story, it isn't who I am."