Breast cancer survivor Karin Carlson is deeply grateful for the state-of-the-art care she received at Health Sciences Centre (HSC). In early 2021, Carlson was informed that she would require a mastectomy to manage her breast cancer. When researching her surgical options for reconstructing her breast, she is grateful that HSC offers a world-class reconstructive surgical option close to home. Carlson underwent a skin-sparing mastectomy followed by the dual deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap surgery, which uses tissue from the patient’s abdomen to reconstruct the new breast.
Her surgical team, led by oncologist Dr. Andrew Cooke, first performed the mastectomy before Dr. Edward Buchel lead the reconstructive procedure. The DIEP flap surgery is a highly specialized technique that involves meticulously reconnecting the patient’s blood vessels to ensure proper blood flow to the reconstructed tissue. The success of Carlson’s surgery was greatly enhanced by the advanced technology funded by the HSC Foundation’s Operation Excellence campaign, which provided five Leica microscopes, including one used during her procedure. The microscope enabled the team to achieve precision during the delicate surgery.
According to Carlson, the fact that the reconstructed breast was in place when she woke up made her emotional recovery much smoother than it would have been had the surgeries been done separately. This innovative approach allowed her to regain a sense of normalcy and start her healing process with greater ease.
Carlson deeply values the compassionate and attentive care she received at HSC throughout her treatment, which played a crucial role in her emotional and physical recovery.
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