DIEP flap: 18 Real Stories
18 stories match DIEP flap. 16 of them mention mastectomy.
Breast Cancer: Helga’s Survivor Story
Helga Dietrich was 60 when she reflected on breast cancer first diagnosed at age 41, soon after her family moved to a new city. Her 2 children were still minors, and knowing they were well cared for during treatment gave her relief. At the first diagnosis…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Nicole’s Survivor Story
Nicole Bissinger was 44 when she described Paget carcinoma of the breast diagnosed in 2009. The first sign was a small wound on her right nipple. For about 1.5 years, it was treated as eczema with cortisone before a biopsy finally showed Paget carcinoma…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Cher’s Survivor Story
Cher first noticed a sore lump under her arm after recovering from COVID and thought it might be a swollen lymph node. When it grew larger and more painful, she went for evaluation. Ultrasound and lymph-node biopsy showed breast cancer, but imaging still…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Renée’s Survivor Story
Renée had already survived acute myeloid leukemia and a bone marrow transplant when she noticed a change in the shape of her left breast at age 35. A dimple appeared, her nipple flattened, and urgent imaging and biopsies found stage 2 breast cancer involving…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Survivor Story
Melissa found a growing, painless lump in her left breast while breastfeeding her 1-year-old daughter. Testing confirmed stage 2B triple-negative breast cancer, and she soon learned that she was pregnant with her second child. She was in her late 20s and had…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Monica’s Survivor Story
Monica was 36 when she felt a firm knot in her breast while working on shoulder strength after unrelated injuries. Imaging quickly raised concern, and a surgical biopsy led to a Stage IIB breast cancer diagnosis on November 2. Her doctors wanted chemotherapy…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Sonja’s Patient Story
Sonja Rideout was diagnosed on October 19, 2022, with Stage II HER2-positive breast cancer after ultrasound and biopsy of a 2-inch breast mass. Her treatment began with 4 months of chemotherapy, followed by a total mastectomy and DIEP flap reconstruction…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tanya’s Patient Story
Tanya was 44 when she was diagnosed in 2016 with Stage IIIA invasive lobular carcinoma in her left breast. She had noticed a painful lump for about 1 year, but her first concern was dismissed because she had no family history and was told breast cancer was…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Krista’s Patient Story
Krista Brown’s breast cancer story began with her mother’s diagnosis. Her mother had Stage III breast cancer, initially tested negative for BRCA1 and BRCA2, and later learned she carried a pathogenic ATM mutation. After her mother shared that result, Krista…
Read this storyStage I Breast Adenocarcinoma: Debbie’s Survivor Story
Debbie Wade had abnormal nipple discharge for almost 4 years before her Stage I breast cancer diagnosis. Starting in 2017, she noticed blood-tinged fluid from her left breast. Biopsy showed intraductal papillomas, and a surgeon removed them, but discharge…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Olivia’s Survivor Story
Olivia Franz was 27 and breastfeeding her 4-month-old son when she noticed a painless lump in her left breast in mid-October 2020. An initial ultrasound suggested mastitis, but the lump and swelling grew during a week of antibiotics. A second ultrasound and…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Renée’s Patient Story
Renée first had cancer at 18, when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Treatment had to move too quickly for fertility preservation, and she was told it would likely cause infertility. She received intensive chemotherapy, total-body radiation, and…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Alicia’s Patient Story
Alicia, 54, was working in human resources in the United Kingdom when she felt a tiny lump around her nipple and noticed changes in breast shape. She had the changes checked by a doctor and was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. The news left her…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Angelina’s Patient Story
Angelina, 56, sought medical help after a lump in her breast kept growing. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer and was told her 5-year survival rate was 95%. Her doctors recommended a treatment regimen that included DIEP mastectomy, chemotherapy…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Patricia’s Survivor Story
Patricia was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in May 2023 after her first NHS mammogram led to a biopsy. She had experienced no symptoms and described the mammogram as lifesaving. The diagnosis brought sadness and fear. Patricia underwent a mastectomy…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Hillary’s Survivor Story
Hillary Robinson was 52 when a routine medical exam found something abnormal in her right breast. She had been busy with family, community work and her family’s manufacturing business, and she had put off yearly mammograms. An ultrasound and mammogram showed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Tamara’s Survivor Story
Tamara Bumpus discovered a lump in her right breast in 2016 while undergoing testing before an elective procedure. A mammogram found the lump, and biopsy confirmed breast cancer. Genetic testing then revealed just how deep breast cancer ran through her…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Mariann’s Survivor Story
Mariann Lotenero was treated for triple-negative breast cancer with a double mastectomy at a California hospital. Afterward, she was deeply grateful to be alive and said she did not have cancer anymore, but survivorship brought a different problem. Her…
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