DiepCJourney Podcast

This interview is another resource provided by DiepCFoundation.org specifically providing access to care for those affected by breast cancer. The slide presentation and interview are available on the Foundation educational channel for our listeners and followers who would like to access it at DiepCFoundation YouTube channel . We are discussing a topic that is often discussed in my community so I r...

When you have cancer you become a patient, and advocate, a student, and yes, I said student. It's like taking one of those classes at university that you must take to learn the topic, but you don't really want to take it. Have you ever met someone in the breast cancer community, and you think to yourself, "Damn! They really did a good job of navigating this whole process." They view their life bef...

As promised, season five presents our listeners with interviews from experts and shares with you all your options for breast reconstruction surgery after mastectomy. In this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast the expert we interview is Dr. Arvind Gowda who collaborates with a team of surgeons at Southwest Breast and Aesthetics in Phoenix, Arizona. One of our goals on the podcast is to provide acc...

Listeners of the DiepCJourney podcast are familiar with the DIEP flap breast reconstruction procedure where the abdominal skin, tissue, and underlying blood vessels are used to replace the breast tissue lost due to mastectomy after being affected by breast cancer. On this episode we are going to discuss the " stacked flap " in breast reconstruction. I'm speaking with Dr. Tim Matatov of Southwest B...

My guest on this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast is a young woman who during the height of the COVID pandemic, at only 33 years old, became diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. Her Journey was not easy but, it is truly inspiring and motivating. She has a strong family history of distinct types of cancer. This is a quote from her website: "Tired of reactive approaches, that waited for...

This episode of the DiepCJourney podcast is our final edition in 2024. I share a discussion across continents with two women leaders I admire who engage in patient advocacy and the patient story. Marie Ennis O'Connor is well known for " Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer " a platform where she gathers writers and bloggers sharing their stories across social media platforms. Her journey in patient adv...

Ten years ago, on December 1, 2014, I was in the trusted hands of a skilled microsurgeon who took tissue from my tummy area along with the skin and blood vessels, and rebuilt what cancer had taken away from me. I lost my breasts to a double mastectomy. For those of us who have been affected by breast cancer, a mastectomy is an amputation. The skilled microsurgeon is my guest on this episode of the...

Solutions often begin with a conversation. When faced with the task of planning your surgery, it is the goal of the DiepCJourney podcast to provide a pathway to workable solutions for those affected by breast cancer. My guest is Dr. Andrew Elkwood , an international expert in advanced reconstruction and a highly skilled microsurgeon. Dr. Elkwood is the founder of The Plastic Surgery Center and Ins...

What is it about social media that draws the breast cancer community together? We are going to explore this question with my guest, Dr. Tasha Gandamihardja , consultant breast cancer surgeon and medical educator on social media under the name, @DrTashaG. We will look at the benefits, downfalls, information, and disinformation provided by various social media platforms on this episode of the DiepCJ...

In this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast I interview April Johnson Stearns . She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Wildfire Magazine & Writing Community . April has an extensive background in writing and landed her first memoir-based magazine cover story at 16. She worked for her college newspaper and then the local newspaper in Santa Cruz, The Sentinel, following graduation. During the tec...

Are you aware of the value of the two-surgeon model in reconstructive microsurgery? Have you heard about the benefits to patients of ERAS (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery) protocol? I spoke with two board-certified plastic reconstructive surgeons who practice at Tucson Plastic Surgery to answer these questions and others on this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast . My guests are Dr. Siliva Kurtov...

When you think about breast reconstruction do you only think about breast implants? If so, it is because many people are still choosing this option for reconstructing their breast after mastectomy. However, there are options. Using your own tissue is an option and the tissue, along with a blood source, can come from various parts of the body. Fat grafting to shape and form the breast is also an op...

Breast sensation, " sensibility," is a topic I personally cannot talk enough about. Breast cancer patients want to be protected from burns. They want to feel the hugs from their children, grandchildren, partners, friends, and family. Sensibility refers to awareness, emotional response, and feeling so it makes perfect sense to use this word in our conversation on this episode of the DiepCJourney po...

This edition of the DiepCJourney podcast highlights a recently published paper in JPRAS , an International Journal of Surgical Reconstruction. The title of the paper is: Flap neurotization improves sensation outcomes in abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. To our listeners, who may be patients, surgeons, or medical professionals we are going to...

In this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast I am joined by another podcaster. What I am most excited about is that he is one of our international guests this year. We have known each other for some time. Not trying to age either one of us but I have enjoyed knowing him, having robust conversations, and learning so much about the world of plastic surgery and microsurgery from him. We will talk abou...

Consider a young person who has been newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Add to the mix they are facing a mastectomy and exploring options for breast reconstruction. Let's say they are someone who has grown up in the world of social media. The question arises, where do they connect and get their credible information? Breast reconstruction is a complex decisional process. Do they use a platform lik...

Access to medical care for those affected by breast cancer is crucial, and often life transformative. This personal story will give emphasis to the voice of an advocate, a woman of strength, and determined to find the best care available for her during her personal journey from diagnosis to recovery from reconstructive surgery. My guest on this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast is Dana Brown, a...

This is a special episode of the DiepCJourney podcast. It is one of the most touching interviews I have done to date. Originally recorded during the pandemic as a video , I searched through my audio archives hoping I might find it to repurpose the interview. Thankfully, you can now listen to the interview as a podcast. I added a special tribute at the beginning of the podcast to honor my own Fathe...

Imagine a world where a specialist surgeon on one continent could be virtually transported into any operating room of another surgeon specialist, anywhere in the world, to collaborate with one another visually and practically. That is now a reality with the Proximie system, an augmented reality telehealth platform and innovation in education and global surgery. Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram if the Foun...

Are you feeling anxious or confused about what to eat if you have had or currently have breast cancer? My returning guest on this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast is Cathy Leman. She is a dietician, nutrition therapist, and a certified personal trainer, who herself has had hormone positive breast cancer. Cathy developed the Peaceful Plate , a nutrition education and coaching program. She shares...

Have you searched endlessly for days and weeks for a microsurgeon to perform breast reconstruction? Access to care is a real concern for patients who are affected by breast cancer. Finding a plastic surgeon who specializes in tissue reconstruction in the area you live in is not always a service afforded to all patients. Traveling for breast reconstruction is not out of the ordinary. It was somethi...

I have been fortunate to have discussions with surgeons in the U.S. on lymphedema. This is a topic I feel should be discussed with international surgeons as well. As part of my work with DiepCFoundation I am fortunate to meet surgeons from around the world at various plastic and microsurgical conferences. I will be talking to one of these microsurgeons on the DiepCJourney podcast. We need to know...

The two-surgeon model in microvascular breast reconstruction and concerns about insurance coverage is a topic we are tackling on the DiepCJourney podcast . I have NOT come to understand the complexities of insurance but have gained a great deal of empathy for those in the breast cancer community who deal with these complexities, and that includes patients and surgeons. I was certain I needed to in...

Whether you have had a breast cancer diagnosis, have a genetic mutation placing you at high risk of getting breast cancer, have had or are facing a mastectomy due to either of these situations you will want to listen to this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast . The time has come to share a personal story of a woman I interviewed twice about her decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy and impla...

Have ever been you curious about the networking, conversations, and education that happens among colleagues at medical conferences? Or are there topics you see online but are not aware of the stories behind the social media posts from these conferences? I invite a returning guest to give you a behind the scenes look at one such conference, the annual conference of The American Society of Reconstru...