Throughout Annie’s treatment, including five years of tamoxifen hormone therapy, Laura was by Annie’s side supporting her. But when Laura’s two-year-old son died tragically her world was shattered and she didn’t have the will to pursue her own testing. “Cancer was the furthest thing from my mind,” says Laura. “Just trying to get through day by day after that tragedy was enough I couldn’t think or deal with anything else at that point, let alone worrying if I was going to get cancer or not.”
In the meantime, Annie underwent a hysterectomy at MelroseWakefield Hospital and a double mastectomy and implants at another Boston hospital. While Annie was relieved to be cancer-free, her implants were uneven, had left her without feeling in her chest and she later learned, were liable to rupture. Despite the discomfort and dissatisfaction with the results, Annie was reluctant to undergo another major surgery to correct the implants. She and her family had already been through too much.
Still, Annie continued to follow up regularly with her team at Tufts Medicine’s Stoneham Cancer Center, where she was often accompanied by Laura who eventually decided to undergo genetic testing and found she was positive for the BRCA2 gene that put her at high risk for developing breast cancer. In 2022, nearly 12 years after Annie’s mastectomy and implant surgery, mother and daughter sat down with Tufts Medicine plastic and microsurgeon Christopher Homsy, MD to discuss Annie’s options.
Dr. Homsy explained that he could take out the implants—leaving her without breast tissue or she could undergo the DIEP Flap procedure which uses the patient’s stomach tissue to reconstruct the breast and results in a soft and natural feel. He recommended against another implant reconstruction due to a history of radiation. As they talked, both women felt an instant connection. “It felt like I always knew him,” Annie says. “After what I’d been through with the other surgeries, I knew I’d finally found someone I could trust. The way he described every step in detail, you can feel his kindness and passion for helping people look and feel their best.”
Dr. Homsy emphasizes the importance of personalized and patient-centered care. “My approach is never cookie cutter,” he says. “I look at all aspects of my patient’s medical history, their support systems, their jobs…every patient is different. While we prefer to use patients' own tissue to reconstruct their breasts, I always want to make sure that the patient is fully educated about recovery, expectations, downtime and everything that can come after a surgery like this.”
By the time the meeting was over both Annie and Laura had made their decisions. Annie would have the DIEP Flap surgery to repair and reconstruct her breasts and Laura would have a prophylactic mastectomy to mitigate her risk of developing breast cancer and then DIEP Flap reconstruction. Annie had her surgery first and Laura followed just a few months later allowing them to care for each other throughout their recovery. Both women are thrilled with the care they received at Tufts Medicine. “The results look and feel amazing. Meeting Dr. Homsy and his team was meant to be,” says Annie. “The entire team at Tufts Medicine is always there for us—everyone from the receptionist at check-in to the doctors and nurses. I’m very thankful to everybody who helped make me whole.”
Laura agrees and has become a strong advocate for young adults facing with a high risk of cancer: “I want to tell young person get genetic testing and mammograms if you’re at high risk. Then find a doctor like Dr. Homsy who makes you feel confident and comfortable in your plan for going forward. Being proactive and advocating for yourself is the most important thing you can do to get ahead of cancer. I thought I was going to get cancer like my mom and aunts, and that I had no choice about it. But Dr. Homsy changed all that for me. I know my aunt is looking down at me and I know she’s proud that my mother and I are both healthy and happy and have a great team of doctors if anything does occur down the line.”
