Giselle Needs Lifesaving Surgery

Dear friends, my name is Giselle Grant, from Atlanta, Ga. I am seeking assistance to cover breast implant removal surgery. The estimated cost of my treatment is $7,500.  This amount will cover all pre-operative medical expenses  (physical, labwork and EKG), physicians fee, hospital fee, anesthesia fee, post-operative pathology testing and follow up with primary care physician. Therefore, I am hosting a fundraiser to help me cover these expenses. Thank you all for your assistance in helping me reach my goal. ***************************************************** My Journey... In April 2011, I married who I thought was my dream man. The honeymoon phase was short lived. Thirty days into my marriage I was shocked with my first of many physical, mental, and emotional attacks. My former husband had an addiction to pornography. What started as a playful, "let me show you something" turned into being forced to watch with him.  After being made to feel inadequate and not as beautiful the females in the movies, he convinced me to get breast implants. I wasn't sure that I wanted to do that but desperately wanted to please my abusive partner. I also wanted to feel better about myself. My self esteem had taken a bruising unlike ever before. In January of 2012, I had surgery. Over the past 6 years... I have faced a myriad of health challenges and can't remember feeling well. I was once the owner of a thriving salon that boasted impressive numbers. Due to debilitating depression, constant inflammation, joint aches/pain, insomnia, brain fog, memory loss, thyroid issues, rashes, chronic sinus issues, headaches, numbness and/or tingling in my extremities, breast pain, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, neck/shoulder pain, severe digestive issues and general feeling of malaise everyday, I am no longer able to work at the same level. I am not alone... After many doctor visits with no clear explanation of my symptoms or successful treatment, I found that I am not alone. There is a community of women who struggle daily just like I do. Finding this community was somewhat a relief because not only was I not alone, I now had answers. Breast Implant Illness is real and while most plastic surgeons don't support that, the countless stories from women like me as well as the followup stories of how much life improved after removing their implants, are proof enough for me. Not all women are affected the same. Found perfect surgeon... The challenge with many physicians refusing to acknowledge Breast Implant Illness leads to years of suffering and even death for some women. I am fortunate to have found Dr. Randy Rudderman (Alpharetta) who answered all my questions and confirmed my worst fears. If I don't have this surgery, my body will continue to deteriorate along with the silicone shells. New Beginnings... I was beyond blessed to escape my abusive marriage. I have not been able to fully reclaim and live my BEST life due to these toxic implants in my body. Living daily with pain and discomfort while navigating the depression attached to these implants is not something I would wish for anyone. All of my attempts at living a full, healthy life seem to fall short. I work out, dance in a troupe, eat well and have enlisted the help of trainers/bootcamps in the past...doing my part to feel better. Healing from Breast implant illness can only truly begin once these toxic bags of silicone are removed. Once that is done, detoxing from mold, fungi, lead, arsenic, platinum and countless other heavy metals can start. Breast Implant Illness, has not only robbed me professionally it has robbed me personally. My inability to work has made it almost impossible to maintain the necessary funds for living. My inability to work has cost me my home. What I know for certain is leaving that relationship was hard. However, living with Breast implant illness is harder. I just want the chance to live and thrive again. I know once this procedure is done, coupled with all of the other life changes I have made, I can. Breast Implant Illness is Real... I want to encourage any woman currently living with the host of health complications that breast implants cause. Please know you are not alone, your symptoms are real and we will continue to address this issue with medical community. Any woman considering getting implants, please know that you are beautiful as you are and the cost of losing your health/way of life is far to great a price to pay. As African American women, our community has often been known to encourage keeping silent about circumstances that plague us as individuals. We are trained to only present a strong facade in the face of adversity. We are the keepers of many secrets...ours and those we love. The problem with this is we often never receive the type of support we need. Our silence, the stoic silence we learned from those that came before us suddenly becomes so loud it is unbearable.