One Week After Mastectomy (Preventative Surgery)

Feeling energetic, showcasing drains and measuring process. I just want to reiterate, I did not have cancer, my surgery was to prevent the disease.. it was a preventative surgery. Hello, my name is Olena Heu. I am a previvor, under the age of 40. In April 2019, I underwent a prophylactic bilateral simple mastectomy without reconstruction. Due to strong family history (aunt, mother and grandmother) plus a genetic RAD50 mutation, I opted to have a preventative mastectomy and remove both of my natural breasts. My husband thought it would be a good idea to document the process and share the pre and post surgery videos for others to see. "You will help a lot of people." This is a very personal and deeply emotional process. I chose to do this because of my extremely high risk of developing breast cancer in my lifetime. To summarize, pathology found no signs of cancer or any cancer cells, I did not have to remove any lymph nodes or have any additional procedures...I also opted not to undergo reconstruction so I could just heal, not have any other surgeries and bounce back in to my life, doctors and almost everyone encouraged me to get implants but I am extremely happy that I went flat and no one seems to notice. The surgery overall was better than I expected, the pain was manageable and the recovery took a total of 3 months for me to heal completely. Earlier in my life I was Miss Hawaii 2004 and I competed at Miss America, then I became a News Anchor in Hawaii until 2014. I am now a successful entrepreneur, writer/journalist, tv show host/producer and photographer. It is my hope that others out there will feel empowered, uplifted and self-aware to make the right decisions for themselves. Having this surgery reduced my risk of breast cancer by over 90%. To follow my journey my blog is: www.mypointofheu.com I am on social: @olenaheu feel free to reach out if you need to, connect or follow along. I appreciate all the love, positivity and encouragement, everyone has been extremely kind and words cannot express how much that means to me and everyone around me. Lastly, I am not a doctor nor a medical professional... this is my experience and mine alone. If you need help please see a doctor and if you know something is not right with your body please let a medical professional know.