“Well yes, in the beginning, I was constantly looking, and I saw the empty place, the big scar, and that was really strange. It really looked weird: on the one side I have a breast and on the other side there is nothing. But if I look at it now, I just see a body (…). I do no longer mention it. I mean, I do not specifically notice, that the breast is no longer there. Well, of course, I mention it, but not in the sense that it concerns me. And I must say, that I’m really happy that it works that way for me, because the other day I read a story about a woman who was still afraid to look at her amputated breast almost a year after surgery. If that were the case for me I would have a very hard time.” (5 months after surgery)
Ann had an amputation of her left breast. Already prior to surgery she decided against a srugical reconstruction of her breast. She was interviewed twice for our study on responding to scars after breast surgery; the first time was 4 weeks after surgery, and the second time, 5 months after surgery.
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Picture: Anthony Gerace