My cup truly overflowed with good doctors, family, and friends who gave in so many beautiful and memorable ways before, during and after the surgeries. Almost every day the doorbell would bring cheer from family and friends throughout the nation with baskets of food, bottles of wine, and bouquets of beautiful aromatic flowers. My children made me the most beautiful cards.
I can still remember once lying in pain on the sofa bed trying to figure out dinner when the doorbell rang. It was my neighbor who I barely knew who had made me a complete homemade turkey dinner that I could, and did, put directly on the table to eat.
During most of my recovery I couldn't imagine picking up a pen let alone actually writing professionally.
During my healing process, a woman who had been a huge and daily help told me she had had a dream. That previous night she dreamt that I had written a book that had helped a lot of people and made me famous.
Opportunist writer that I am, I began almost immediately to think about a book that could do that for me. I needed to find a need and fill it.
So it was within hours of her telling me about her dream that I remembered asking my breast surgeon if he knew of a children's book to discuss my operation with my children. He didn't, but wished he did. He wanted to give them out to his patients. There it was—a deep need that truly needed to be filled. It would have really helped me to have such a book.
To be sure, when I finally got on my feet again, I went to the bookstores to see what was on the shelves. I did find several children's books about women who had tumor-based breast cancer which followed a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation course of treatment. None of those books addressed the mastectomy operation and reconstructive surgery. All of those books featured a son as the main character.
Clearly a children's book was needed and this time from a girl's point of view. It had to be a daughter's point of view because breast cancer is primarily a female disease and there is nothing like the mother-daughter bond.
Thus, the writer that I am, joined hands with God one day, sat down in my living room on the floor in the middle of the morning, music blaring, and created When Mommy Had A Mastectomy.
A zillion drafts later, incorporating comments from my husband, my children and my closest friends, I sent it to Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, who authored When A Parent Has Cancer (HarperCollins) which was featured on Oprah. She went through rounds and rounds of editing with me and contributed a great deal to the book's clarity.
After I found a publisher, I contacted INAMED (the company who manufactured my silicone implants) to let them know about the book. Immediately they knew they wanted to be a part of making this much needed resource available to as many women as possible. Eventually they bought 10,000 copies to give away to plastic surgeons for their waiting rooms. Five percent of the net profits from this and all book sales will be donated to the Komen Foundation and the Y-ME organization.
It has been 4 years since my breast cancer was first diagnosed. I still relish the love and support of my family and friends during those days as well as the feeling of being a part of a truly caring community. I appreciate the beauty and comfort of my new breasts. It is so easy to jog and I relish in the ongoing delight in going bra-less. I have grown to love my new breasts. They are my consolation prize.