A Rare Cancer for this Survivor

I love this couple when they come to the office. I did a pretty large operation on her for a rare complication after earlier breast cancer treatment. And they haven’t stopped thanking me. The husband always takes me aside in this very serious way during her visits just to confirm for himself (man to man) that everything is really okay. The looks on their faces here says it all. And they took their own selfie.

IN HER OWN WORDS: I thought once was enough. I had breast cancer 23 years ago. I got a lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Someone told me they gave me too much radiation and ten years ago I got something unusual–angiosarcoma.

My oncologist told me it couldn’t be cured. I got Dr. Kehoe’s name second time round. He put together a team. I knew this angio thing was rare but he was on top of it. Called up other doctors and got a plastic surgeon. He had to take my whole breast off and the skin. There was no reconstruction with silicone or anything like that. The plastic surgeon took something from my stomach and brought it up to cover the huge hole where my breast was. My stomach was really tight for years, but I rubbed it with olive oil and baby oil and it got better.

So I don’t have a breast anymore. No matter. My husband is still crazy about me and we’ve been married fifty-seven years. He doesn’t care that I don’t have a breast, though I still cover up when I come out of the shower and he’s around. Some guys run for the hills when they see this, but not this one.