Breast reduction surgery saved my life

As he told you Jacquelyne Froeber

It’s February 4th World Cancer Day.

I have wanted a breast reduction for almost my entire adult life.

I often dreamed of what it would be like to work out – or just be comfortable in my clothes – without the constant back pain or uncomfortable side effect of my DD breasts.

Most of the women in my family have large, dense breasts, but no one ever talked much about how having large breasts affected their quality of life. Breast cancer also ran in my family, starting with my maternal grandmother who had a mastectomy in her 50s, so I understood the importance of regular mammograms and checking for anything unusual.

As I got older, I began to think seriously about the reality of the breast reduction procedure. After my daughter was born and I left breastfeeding behind, I decided it was time to finally make the leap into my 40s.

I had breast reduction surgery in December 2024 and the procedure went according to plan. I left my plastic surgeon’s office feeling a literal weight lift off my chest and an immediate sense that I had changed the quality of my life for the better.

About a week into recovery, my plastic surgeon called me out of the blue. I thought he was controlling me (how sweet!). I had forgotten that my breast tissue had been sent to a pathology lab to be checked for abnormal cells. This was routine after breast reduction surgery, so I didn’t think much of it.

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What I didn’t know was that my plastic surgeon had noticed something unusual during the procedure—a significant amount of bleeding in my left breast and abnormal-looking tissue that could be a sign of cancer.

He hadn’t said anything before now because there was no way he would know without testing.

“There’s no easy way to say this. Your pathology results came back and they found cancer in your left breast,” she said.

I immediately felt all the blood drain from my body as I sat on the side of my bed.

The tissue had come back positive for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) — a common type of breast cancer found in the milk ducts. DCIS is also known as stage 0, meaning it was at the earliest possible stage and had not spread to the surrounding breast tissue or other parts of the body.

This was all good news, but my brain had already gone to a dark place. I panicked. My first immediate thought was that I have to be here for my daughter — I can’t leave her like this.

My plastic surgeon was very straight forward with me. “This is not going to take you away from your daughter. You have some choices to make, but we will help you get the care you need.”

Both my plastic surgeon and the pathologist who reviewed my breast tissue samples seemed confident that all the cancer was removed during the reduction. However, I still needed a follow-up test to make sure we were taking every possible precaution.

I was still in shock after we hung up. I felt numb all over my body. I thought I did everything right. I had routine mammograms every year — the most recent was a few months before surgery.

Up until that point, I had only had a blocked milk duck in my left breast after I finished nursing my daughter. I immediately called my Gynecologist to discuss the discomfort and the fact that I had blood and pus coming out of my nipple. I had a mammogram and the results revealed nothing abnormal.

I had too fibroadenomas — non-cancerous lumps — in both breasts. I had one of the fibroadenomas in my right breast biopsied to rule out cancer — but not the lumps in my left breast. Looking back, I wish I had pushed for a biopsy on the left breast, considering that’s where the DCIS was found.

But then it hit me: This diagnosis was a gift. I had done everything I had to do, but there was still cancer. And because of the surgery, we may have caught it before it became fatal.

My plastic surgeon kept her word and helped me get to all my follow up appointments within a few weeks. I was so grateful to have her by my side guiding me through the necessary tests. I often thought of her words – that this would not take me away from my daughter – and they gave me strength and optimism during a very stressful time.

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About a month after the cancer call, all follow-up tests confirmed that the cancer was removed during the reduction surgery. Basically it was like I had a lumpectomy — I just didn’t know it. And the best part: I didn’t need chemotherapy. Radiation, in addition to a mastectomy, were both options I could do to reduce the chances of a recurrence. But neither was mandatory according to my surgeon, so I decided to go ahead with tests every six months, alternating mammograms and MRIs for two years, when recurrence is most likely.

I felt confident about this option because I had significantly reduced my breast size to a C cup and no longer had dense breast tissue, which meant anything abnormal would be easier to see.

Looking back, it feels surreal that when I finally did something for myself — when I finally had the breast reduction surgery I wanted for so long — it probably saved my life.

Now, 16 months after my reduction and cancer diagnosis, I am still cancer free. My doctors told me that if my next six-month checkup is still cancer-free, I can go back to annual mammograms.

I carry a feeling of gratitude with me every day for the way my situation turned out. Overall, this experience taught me that self-care is health care. Like many women, I struggle to prioritize my own needs. I am a mother, a caregiver and a career woman. However, I have learned to be careful to take time for myself and not let the “mommy guilt” creep in. I’m a good mother and I’m a good daughter and taking time for myself doesn’t take any of that away.

I hope that by sharing my story I can help other women in some way. Because together, we are stronger.

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