Breast cancer is probably one of the most feared diseases by women in the world today. It’s not only the health issues, it attacks the woman’s psyche, her self image, and can even change the way she values herself as a woman, said Dr. Ram Kalus of the Plastic Surgery of the Carolinas located in Columbia.

“The unique thing about breast cancer is the disfigurement,” Kalus said. “Losing a breast isn’t like losing a toe or even an arm. It is something that can make a woman feel like she’s lost her femininity, and today that no longer has to happen.”

Kalus said that although breast reconstruction can take several surgeries, the major reconstruction can begin the day of the mastectomy.

“Many women aren’t aware the reconstruction of the breast can begin on the same day of the mastectomy,” Kalus said. “While it may take several operations to complete, the woman is spared the psychological pain of totally losing a breast or breasts. That can play a huge role in her recovery and her state of mind as she heals.”

Kalus and his team use a product called AlloDerm to reconstruct the breast, he said.

“AlloDerm is derived from donated human tissue and fundamentally acts as a replacement for missing tissue in the body,” the doctor said. “This tissue goes through a proprietary process where cells are completely removed without damaging the integrity of the tissue. This process preserves the delicate and critical tissue components that allow someone to use the tissue and accept it into her body as her own. It provides strong, intact support for breast implant reconstruction procedures.”

A patient of Kalus who wishes to be referred to by only her first name, Beth, said she is thrilled with the results of her reconstruction.

Beth’s story begins when she was getting a back massage from her husband back in 2008. At that time her husband, then her boyfriend, said he felt something odd in her breast region, she didn’t think twice about it.

“I was only 34, and there was no history of cancer of any sort in my family,” Beth said.

“But he was worried so I did go in and get checked out. As it turned out, it was cancer and out of 13 nodes they took to biopsy, 10 were cancerous.”

Beth said it was a demoralizing blow as she is a statuesque woman, and losing a breast, for her, was all the more devastating.

“I was a triple–D and to have that on one side and nothing on the other was just something I didn’t want to envision or deal with,” she said.

“The morning I was diagnosed, I had done three miles on the exercise bike,” she said. “I felt fine and never thought for a second the day would end with me having breast cancer.”

She said that discovering Kalus and Surgery of the Carolinas as well as all of the doctors and staff at the South Carolina Oncology Associates was definitely a godsend for her.

“When I met with Dr. Kalus, he was so reassuring and so down to earth,” she said. He seemed to know every fear I had and dealt with them one by one.”

Kalus said reconstruction of a breast is not at all the same as a prosthetic limb.

“The hand or leg is going to obviously be a prosthetic and isn’t geared to look real,” he said. “A woman wants her breasts to look and feel real. And she wants the reconstructed breast to match her natural breast.”

That means matching the skin color and the texture as well as the size and color or the areola as closely as possible, the doctor said.

“There are several products out there used in breast reconstruction,” he said. “I prefer AlloDerm because I get the best results with it.”

And according to Beth, he’s right.

“It was and is a long journey,” she said. “I still have another surgery coming up to complete the process, but to have good doctors and a good support system is so very important. I don’t feel like a freak, and I feel like a healthy woman. My breasts look like my breasts. Not like some strange thing on my chest.”

On October 15 Beth celebrated her second year as a breast cancer survivor. Today, she is back in school pursuing her BA degree, doing regular work–outs and yoga classes, and as she said, “living a grateful life.”

“I think faith and a positive attitude is 87 percent of the recovery,” the perky survivor said. “The road is hard; there’s no doubt about it. You get sick from the chemo, you lose your hair, and you’re always tired. There’s what we call ‘chemo brain’ or ‘chemo fog’ that makes you forgetful and not all there. Chemo kills the cancer, but it really wears you out. You can’t pressure yourself. You have to take it one day at a time and do what you can and not worry about the rest.”

Beth said she tries to always focus on the good and to stay positive.

“Being diagnosed with breast cancer isn’t a death sentence anymore,” she said. “I feel like I’ve beaten it through prayer, faith, and trust, but if it comes back, it comes back. There’s nothing I can do about that. God has a plan, and I trust that plan.”

She said that during her recovery there were two slogans all of the survivors live by, and she wanted to pass that on to women out there who may just be starting their own journey of fighting breast cancer.

“Just fight like a girl and win like a woman,” she said with a smile. “And always remember, if life gives you lemons, make pink lemonade.”