
Kimberly’s Journey: Stage 3 Survivor & Founder of Not Putting on a Shirt
My Body, My Choice
But that choice was taken from me. My surgeon thought I would ‘change my mind’ about implants and instead of the agreed-upon flat closure, I woke to extra skin he had left on purpose and against my consent. I was devastated.
Kim was a young mother of two diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. She chose to go flat – she simply wanted to be “one and done” and get back to her life. But the plastic surgeon she hired to make her flat acted against her clear directive and left excess tissue “in case you change your mind” (his words as Kim was lying on the operating table).
Facing Devastation and Making Tough Choices
Her choice to be “one and done” now gone, Kim had to choose whether to live with a cosmetic result that she finds abhorrent, or to take on additional risk – and sacrifice energy, money, and precious time with her family – to “fix” it. All Kim asked for was an acknowledgment, from the surgeon and hospital, of the wrong that had been done, and a commitment to prevent this from happening to future patients. But her pleas fell on deaf ears. So, Kim took matters into her own hands and, in July 2018, founded Not Putting on a Shirt (NPOAS) to advocate for optimal aesthetic flat closure (a new term adopted by the NCI in early 2020).
Raising Awareness About Flat Denial
What happened to Kim – intentional flat denial – happens to 1 in 20 women who choose to go flat. Another 2/3 in 20 receive egregiously poor aesthetic results as a result of lack of skill or care. These women go into surgery expecting a flat result, and wake up to something completely different. Some feel they have no choice but to have more surgery to get an acceptable appearance, which others may not be able to afford. Others still are not well enough for more surgery. They just have to live with the disfigurement that might have been prevented if their surgeons hadn’t “left a little behind in case you change your mind.”
Founding Not Putting on a Shirt
Kim fought alone for over a year. Then she started Not Putting on a Shirt. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kim to hear how she started her amazing advocacy work with helping women advocate for aesthetic flat closure as a valid, healthy option after a double mastectomy. Please visit Aesthetic Flat Closure – Learn Look Locate.
A Message from Learn Look Locate
At Learn Look Locate, Kims’s courageous battle against breast cancer touches our hearts deeply. We are honored to share her story, offering a platform for survivors to come together, learn, and find solace in one another’s experiences. Through our diverse range of resources including Kimberly’s survivor narrative, our mission is to empower individuals at every phase of their cancer journey. We proudly stand by Kimberly’s and all those who demonstrate remarkable courage, celebrating their strength and reminding the world that hope shines brightest, even amidst life’s greatest trials.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!