My name is Elizabeth Reed, and I was diagnosed with estrogen-sensitive breast cancer when I was 31 years old. The surgery I had with PRMA was the DIEP flap surgery. My story starts, when I was 31 years old. It was a very big surprise to be diagnosed with cancer at such a young age. I immediately was surrounded by a great team of doctors.

It was both a good and bad thing that my mom had breast cancer years prior. She already had a great group of doctors with her oncologist. She set me up with her oncologist who then connected me to PRMA for my reconstruction surgery. I had a mastectomy first because when you have cancer, all you want is to get it out of your body. I had a mastectomy on the right side first, and then several months later, I have the DIEP flap surgery with a prophylactic mastectomy on the left side as well.

My experience at PRMA was absolutely fabulous. I recommend all women to come to PRMA for the care and support across all levels. Not only is it a surgery that will return you back to the woman you once were, but also the support from the nursing staff. What I found to be most helpful to me were the support groups that were set up. I joined several groups with women who had the surgery before, and with women who are going through treatment and looking forward to the surgery in the future. It was really nice to be surrounded by a group of women I could connect with that were feeling the same experience. That support group and the support from the nurses was just fabulous.

I called many times, especially in the days right after the surgery, when my pain level was pretty high. I had a lot of questions about how to manage the pain or if what I was experienced in the healing process was normal. I called many hours and the nurses were always ready to talk to me and walk me through.

My doctor was Dr. Pisano and I’ve never had a doctor like him take the time to get to know me as a person, which meant a lot to me. I wasn’t just a patient to him, he found out what I did for a living, about my family, and about my daughter. I think that made me feel more comfortable with him, and it made him feel more comfortable with me. I was confident going into surgery that I had the best person!

My experience at PRMA was absolutely fabulous. I recommend all women to come to PRMA for the care and support across all levels!