"Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day:" Milwaukee VA to host event to educate folks about surgery

MILWAUKEE -- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there's an effort at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee to help a specific group affected by breast cancer. It is an effort to help survivors return to  life before breast cancer.

Deanna Savage was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2014.

Deanna Savage

"It's always a shock, I think, to hear anything like that," Savage said. "One good thing was that it was Stage One. The tumor was less than, I believe, a centimeter."

But Savage would still need a double mastectomy.

"Hearing that both of my breasts had to go was difficult to process," Savage said.

Savage, an Air Force veteran, followed that surgery with breast reconstruction surgery.

Now, she's sharing her story with other women, in the hopes she can help them. Savage's story will headline the "Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day" at the Milwaukee VA on Wednesday, October 21st.

Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center

"We noticed that our women veterans, our numbers had been going up and we were taking care of more breast cancer patients," Sherry Wiesner, Milwaukee VA plastic surgery care facilitator and nurse said.

Wiesner says the Milwaukee VA was the first in the country to hold such an event, as well as the first Milwaukee-area hospital to do so in 2013. The hospital has seen a stark increase in the number of breast reconstruction surgeries in recent years.

"In the last five years, our number of breast reconstructions has doubled and we would anticipate that in three to five years it doubles again," Dr. James Sanger, Milwaukee VA chief of plastic surgery said.

Deanna Savage

The surgery is not right for every breast cancer survivor, but it's one option.

VA officials hope Wednesday's event will help to educate women, and help them feel empowered as they learn what their options are.

"It's not quite so frightening when you're able to tangibly see what's happening -- when you can process the information -- when it's in front of you and there's people who can explain it to you immediately right then and there," Savage said.

Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day runs from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday -- and the entire general public is welcome.