AT ABOUT A 2 HOUR DELAY. IF
THAT AREA. SO WE'LL KEEP AN
EYE ON IT FOR THE REST OF THE
MORNING. OCTOBER IS CANCER
AWARENESS MONTH IN A PORTLAND
WOMAN IS GETTING NATIONAL
ATTENTION FOR INSPIRING CANCER
PATIENTS EVERYWHERE. HE
CREATED A WEBSITE GIVING HOPE
TO THOSE WHO UNDERGO
LIFE-SAVING PROCEDURES.
JOINING US LIVE IS LAURA
PIKE, THE CREATOR OF EMPOWERED
MASTECTOMY, DOT COM. GOOD
MORNING.
GOOD MORNING, TRAVIS. GOOD
MORNING, EMILY. GOOD MORNING.
PORTLAND I DIDN'T KNOW MUCH
FOR JOINING US THIS WHO'LL
INITIATIVE THAT YOU TOOK ON
HERE. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO
START THIS WEB SITE AND TELL
US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT.
SO THANKS SO MUCH FOR
SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT EXIST
IN THE CANCER WORLD. IT IS
REVOLUTIONARY IN THAT IT IS
WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD THAT
ARE GOING INTO MASTECTOMY
SURGERY AND ARE TERRIFIED WHAT
THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
THIS WEBSITE IS A COLLECTIVE
OF HUNDREDS OF FROM DIFFERENT
PEOPLE THAT HAVE SUBMITTED
THEIR IMAGES AND THEIR STORIES
AND YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG WITH
THEIR SURGICAL JOURNEY AND
LEARNING EMPOWER YOURSELF AND
EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT IT. I
WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER 2
YEARS AGO AND I WAS TERRIFIED
GOING INTO MY DOUBLE
MASTECTOMY. THE FOLLOWING YEAR
MIGHT SISTER WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH CANCER. AND SHE TOLD ME
THAT SHE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM
THAT SHE COULDN'T FIND
INTERNET AND IT'S IT'S JUST
MIND BLOWING THAT THIS
RESOURCE DOES NOT EXIST. SO
I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE IT.
YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S
INCREDIBLE THAT YOU KNOW, YOU
SAW A NEED HERE FROM YOUR OWN
YOU CALL YOURSELF A CANCER
THRIVE OR SO JUST TELL US A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU
WISH. SOMEONE HAD BEEN ABLE TO
EXPLAIN TO YOU OR OR C BEFORE
YOU UNDERWENT SUCH A HUGE
PROCEDURE.
I THINK YOU KNOW, CANCER.
THE ONE OF THE BIGGEST
MISCONCEPTIONS IS THAT PEOPLE
THINK IT'S A FREE BOOT JOB. IT
IS NOT A FREE JOB. IT'S REALLY
HARD. AND THERE'S MANY, MANY
STAGES TO RECONSTRUCTION AND
THERE'S MANY OPTIONS YOU DON'T
HAVE TO DO RECONSTRUCTION. YOU
CAN GO FLAT AND YOU CAN HAVE
AN AESTHETIC FLAT CLOSURE
WHICH IS BEAUTIFUL. YOU CAN
HAVE YOUR OWN TISSUE
TRANSFERRED FROM PARTS OF YOUR
BODY TO YOUR TO MAKE NEW. IT'S
NOT JUST IMPLANT
RECONSTRUCTION BUT IT'S A
LONG, HARD ROAD AND IT'S YOU
KNOW WHAT, IT'S JUST SO
IMPORTANT TO HAVE SUPPORT AND
GATHER YOUR TROOPS AROUND YOU
FOR IT.
THAT'S GREAT. IT SAID
SOUNDS LIKE ONE THING THAT
OF GATHER COMMUNITY AROUND
PEOPLE WHO NEED IT AND IN A
TIME THAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT
IN THEIR LIFE. WHAT HAS BEEN
THE THE RESPONSE TO THE
WEBSITE YOU CREATED SO FAR.
IT'S THE BEST WORK THAT I
WILL EVER DO IN MY ENTIRE
EVERY I'VE GOTTEN AN
OVERWHELMING RESPONSE FROM
PEOPLE. THE WEBSITE WOMEN AND
HAS MEN. THEY HAVE GONE
THROUGH MASTECTOMY AND CANCER
IDENTIFY ANY AND ALL GENDERS.
IT HAS ALL COLORS OF SKIN, ALL
AGES. I MEAN, DEMOGRAPHIC IS
WOMEN THAT ARE IN THEIR 20'S
AND 30'S LIKE MYSELF THAT ARE
DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. BUT,
EVERYBODY BECAUSE I WANT THIS
WEBSITE TO BE ALL INCLUSIVE.
AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE
NOTICING AND IT'S IT'S LIKE SO
EXCITING. OH, ABSOLUTELY. I
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, YOU
KNOW, JUST HOW OVERWHELMING IT
MUST FEEL TO GET THAT
DIAGNOSIS AND TO FEEL LIKE YOU
DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN AND
AT THE SAME TIME YOU'RE
GETTING SO MUCH INFORMATION
AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE ALL THESE
DECISIONS. SO.
HOW CAN HOW CAN PEOPLE GET
INVOLVED. OBVIOUSLY IT'S
CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. WE
WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO,
IN AND TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR
BODY AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE
KEEPING UP WITH THOSE
MAMMOGRAMS AND SCREENINGS.
BUT.
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO
KNOW AT HOME YOU KNOW, NOT
ONLY THE WEB SITE THAT YOU'VE
CREATED, BUT JUST HOW THEY CAN
LOVED ONES HEALTHY.
YEAH. I WELL, AS FAR AS MY
WEB SITE GOES SPREAD THE WORD
TELL EVERYBODY IF YOU'RE IN
ABOUT IT YOU KNOW, IT'S A
DISSERVICE THAT PEOPLE DON'T
KNOW ABOUT. IT. BUT AS FAR AS
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN DO TO
HELP WITH CANCER. DO YOU'RE A
MONTHLY CHECK ADVOCATE FOR
IF IF YOU FEEL LIKE
SOMETHING'S OFF PUSH PUSH PUSH
FOR THAT MAMMOGRAM AND YOU
KNOW. AND DON'T LET SOMEBODY
TELL YOU LIKE DON'T LET YOUR
OR DISMISS YOU TELL YOU THAT
IT'S IT'S NOTHING WHEN IT
MIGHT BE SOMETHING BECAUSE
THAT HAPPENS A LOT AND YOU
HAVE TO BE YOUR BEST ADVOCATE
NOW. WILL, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING FOR YOUR STRENGTH AND
FOR SHARING YOUR STORY AT WHAT
YOU ARE DOING. IT IS TRULY
LIFESAVING WORK. WE APPRECIATE
IT SO MUCH.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
ABSOLUTELY. AND IF YOU WANT TO
BROWSE THROUGH HER IT DOES
INCLUDE AN IMAGES GALLERY. AS
YOU MENTIONED THERE, WE CAN'T
SHOW YOU SOME OF IT ON ON
MUCH VALUABLE INFORMATION
ONLINE. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU
KNOW, NEEDS TO CHECK IT OUT.
VISIT EMPOWERED MASTECTOMY DOT
COM TO LEARN MORE.