Celebrate the 5th National BRA Day with The Ottawa Clinic

If you or a woman you know has had a mastectomy, or might have one in the future, BRA Day is your opportunity to get more information about breast reconstruction surgery.

In Ontario, breast reconstruction surgery is covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Policy. Not all doctors, however, inform their patients about this option, and in some regions patients do not have access to facilities where the procedure can be performed. Dr. Mitchell Brown, a plastic surgeon with a practice in Toronto, initiated BRA Day in 2011 to help make breast reconstructive surgery more accessible to women in Canada and around the world.

This year, Dr. Hae Mi Lee of The Ottawa Clinic will be participating in Ottawa’s BRA Day activities on October 21st at the EY Centre. During this evening event, participants will receive information about a variety of reconstructive options and hear from women who have undergone breast reconstruction surgery.

Over 23,000 mastectomies are performed every year in Canada, but only 15 per cent of women who undergo the operation get reconstructive surgery. Breast reconstruction practices have made big advances over the last decade, and implants, expanders, fat grafting, stem cells and tissue engineering are just some of the options available to women.

Informing women about these procedures before they get a mastectomy can vastly improve the reconstructive procedure. A woman who opts for reconstruction before a mastectomy, for example, may be able to have her nipple left in place to preserve the appearance of the breast and, in some cases, may be able to have the reconstruction performed at the same time as the mastectomy.

Breast reconstruction can have a positive and healing power on the lives of breast cancer survivors. Come out and join The Ottawa Clinic on BRA Day as we celebrate women, raise awareness for breast reconstruction and support the breast cancer community.

If you have any questions or would like more information about breast reconstruction, please feel free to contact us!