People have more personal time. It’s time to sit with yourself rather than running around socializing, to actually process your inner dialogue, think about what’s making you happy or unhappy, and look in the mirror and reflect on what you’re seeing. It’s time to work out regularly and discover that despite your diligent workouts and strict diet—that you’ve now had time to adhere to—you still have those trouble spots that you always told yourself would go away, once you finally had time to work out and eat right. It’s time to get online and really research that procedure you always wondered about. These patients are showing up, convinced they’ve done their part, and are now super-ready for me to do mine.

Every woman facing a mastectomy should be given the information she needs to make an informed decision about breast reconstruction. Ideally, your breast surgeon will discuss all breast reconstruction options with you and offer a referral to a plastic surgeon before your mastectomy surgery. But this doesn’t always happen. In the United States, not all women have the same access to information or care when it comes to breast reconstruction. Black women are one of the groups that face more barriers to getting breast reconstruction. Studies show that Black [...]