Hi my name is Violet Page, I’m 21 years old and was born in Garberville Ca, but I'm now living in Sonoma County, going to college, studying psychology. My family has a strong and aggressive history of very young breast cancer. Both my grandmother and my aunty passed away from breast cancer at the age of 35, my aunt, Jen, being diagnosed at just 30 years old. Knowing my family history and wanting to be as proactive as possible, I went in for genetic testing in Summer of 2018, and found out that I carry the harmful BRCA-1 genetic mutation. This mutation brings my risk of developing breast cancer during my life to around 87%, and my risk of ovarian cancer anywhere between 40% and 60%. These are really scary numbers, and unfortunately for my family, women have gotten cancer at an alarmingly young age. Basically, it’s not if I develop cancer, but when. While I was coming to terms with my diagnosis and still in the process of accepting and starting to tell those around me what was going on Jens cancer got much worse. I had to see first hand how horrific this disease is, and in December 2018 Jen passed away after a 5 year battle with metastatic breast cancer. It was then that I realized I had to start sharing my story, and I not only wanted, but needed to do everything possible to beat cancer before it ever has a chance to beat me.
In 2019, I decided that I would be getting a bilateral preventative mastectomy. This surgery will bring my risk of developing breast cancer from 87% to less than 5%. Had I not made this decision, my life from here on out would be endless appointments, breast exams, scans, and the constant fear of “what if”. My amazing surgeon and her team came up with a two step surgical plan for me, in order to give me the best results possible. The first surgery being a bilateral lift and reduction, and the second being the bilateral mastectomy with direct to implant reconstruction. During the mastectomy and reconstruction my surgery team will be using groundbreaking techniques to do nerve preserving and grafting if necessary in order for me to retain sensation in my breasts. This is something that has never been an option for women getting mastectomies. Doing the lift and reduction before hand gives me a much better chance at retaining my nipples as well and sort of “preps the pocket” for better results during my second surgery. On January 13th, 2020 I had the first step to my surgeries, the bilateral lift and reduction, and have been recovering at home. The recovery from the first surgery has been much slower than I originally thought, and preparing for this second surgery I realize just how extensive my recovery will be.
I’ve started this GoFundMe to ask for help covering some of my medical costs, managing my recovery, and lessening the financial burden on my family and I. I am very lucky that my dad has been able to provide me with the best health insurance, but the financial strain of these surgeries is still immense.The first surgery was more costly than we had anticipated, and attempting to plan for the second more extensive surgery in less than two months has been stressful. I am a full time college student, and rely heavily on financial aid for both school costs and every day living expenses, but in order to undergo these surgeries, I had to take this semester off from school. All funds donated here will go to the following: surgery fees, anesthesia, follow up appointments, pathology, medications, scar treatment, hospital stay, items needed for recovery, physical therapy if needed to regain range of motion after mastectomy, and funds for me to live on until I can return to school in the fall to finish up my education and will again have financial aid to rely on.
This journey has caused a lot of emotional and physical pain, and I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without my family, friends, and community. Thank you all for considering and sharing my story, it means the world. You are all helping me live a longer, happier, healthier life.
If anybody would like to help but doesn’t like using these online platforms, please reach out to me by email. [email redacted]
In 2019, I decided that I would be getting a bilateral preventative mastectomy. This surgery will bring my risk of developing breast cancer from 87% to less than 5%. Had I not made this decision, my life from here on out would be endless appointments, breast exams, scans, and the constant fear of “what if”. My amazing surgeon and her team came up with a two step surgical plan for me, in order to give me the best results possible. The first surgery being a bilateral lift and reduction, and the second being the bilateral mastectomy with direct to implant reconstruction. During the mastectomy and reconstruction my surgery team will be using groundbreaking techniques to do nerve preserving and grafting if necessary in order for me to retain sensation in my breasts. This is something that has never been an option for women getting mastectomies. Doing the lift and reduction before hand gives me a much better chance at retaining my nipples as well and sort of “preps the pocket” for better results during my second surgery. On January 13th, 2020 I had the first step to my surgeries, the bilateral lift and reduction, and have been recovering at home. The recovery from the first surgery has been much slower than I originally thought, and preparing for this second surgery I realize just how extensive my recovery will be.
I’ve started this GoFundMe to ask for help covering some of my medical costs, managing my recovery, and lessening the financial burden on my family and I. I am very lucky that my dad has been able to provide me with the best health insurance, but the financial strain of these surgeries is still immense.The first surgery was more costly than we had anticipated, and attempting to plan for the second more extensive surgery in less than two months has been stressful. I am a full time college student, and rely heavily on financial aid for both school costs and every day living expenses, but in order to undergo these surgeries, I had to take this semester off from school. All funds donated here will go to the following: surgery fees, anesthesia, follow up appointments, pathology, medications, scar treatment, hospital stay, items needed for recovery, physical therapy if needed to regain range of motion after mastectomy, and funds for me to live on until I can return to school in the fall to finish up my education and will again have financial aid to rely on.
This journey has caused a lot of emotional and physical pain, and I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without my family, friends, and community. Thank you all for considering and sharing my story, it means the world. You are all helping me live a longer, happier, healthier life.
If anybody would like to help but doesn’t like using these online platforms, please reach out to me by email. [email redacted]