What happened, in summary

Natalie found a lump in her right breast after nursing her third child. Mammogram and ultrasound did not explain what she could still feel, so she pushed for a specialist. After 6 months of watching the area, she had a lumpectomy, and pathology showed Stage 0 DCIS. MRI then showed suspicious spots near the original lump. Natalie chose a double subcutaneous mastectomy, keeping the nipples and moving into reconstruction. What followed became far longer than she expected: tissue expanders, implants, scar-tissue problems, fat grafting, human cadaver tissue support, and repeated corrective operations. About 8 years after the original diagnosis, during surgery number 13, she pointed out a cracked, bleeding nipple. A sample showed cancer of the nipple, described in her story as Paget's disease. Surgery number 14 removed the nipple, areola, and surrounding tissue, and more DCIS was found in the skin. In summer 2016, surgery number 16 removed the reconstructed breast. Natalie later used prosthetics, then tried reconstruction again with LD surgery, more fat grafting, and an implant. Her final major reconstruction surgery was on May 2, 2019, surgery number 20. As of June 2026, she described living fully while still watching her body closely and managing fear of recurrence.