Reconstruction Post-Breast Cancer Surgery Is Not a Given, Anymore Sabrina Emms
In 2016, Kim Bowles, then 35 years old and a mother of two, was facing the loss of both breasts due to cancer. Going into the surgery Bowles told her doctor she did not want breast reconstruction, instead to leave her chest flat.
Her decision, clearly communicated to her surgeon, was not honored. “I brought photos, I brought a witness, I did everything I could to protect my choice,” said Ms. Bowles, who lives in Pennsylvania. Instead, the surgeon left two flaps of skin in case she changed her mind. Ms. Bowles experienced “flat denial”, the response of a surgeon, who for whatever reason, does not honor a patient s wishes.