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Summer 2007
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Life is a Carnival!
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FORCE’s 2008 Calendar: "Life is a Carnival"
by Kathy Steligo
There’s nothing unusual about a nonprofit organization publishing a calendar. But there’s something very unique about FORCE’s 2008 calendar. “Life is a Carnival” is a bold approach to mastectomy and reconstruction education. We put faces—although festively masked—to the mastectomy and reconstruction experience. More than just a calendar, “Life is a Carnival” is an intimate collection of real women who courageously volunteered to share their bodies and their experiences to help others understand what reconstruction really looks like. We chose Mardi Gras as a theme because it celebrates life; our calendar celebrates life after mastectomy. And as our photos attest, life after mastectomy—with or without reconstruction—does go on.
Featuring FORCE members as models, the 14-month color calendar represents a variety of post-mastectomy choices, including no reconstruction and breasts
rebuilt with implants and/or flaps. Each model also shares her own story, what procedure she chose, and her likes and dislikes about her results. More than just a calendar, “Life is a Carnival” is a tool for exploring post-mastectomy options.
FORCE encourages decisions based on information. Mastectomy is a difficult decision, and a critical issue for anyone with a BRCA mutation or a hereditary cancer syndrome. Those who have been diagnosed may face mastectomy as treatment, especially since they have a 65 percent chance of developing the disease again. Others choose prophylactic bilateral mastectomy to reduce their lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, which can be as high as 85 percent. Whether you’re a cancer survivor or you’re exploring options to manage your risk, whether you’re considering mastectomy or have already had the surgery, we think you’ll find this calendar enlightening, inspiring and a reminder that you’re not alone.
The calendar may be purchased with or without a
copy of The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook. Proceeds will be used to fund FORCE programs.
Visit www.facingourrisk.org/calendar to order your calendar now. It’s the perfect holiday gift for your favorite breast cancer health professional or someone facing a mastectomy.
Acknowledgements
FORCE gratefully acknowledges the following exceptionally generous donations that made this calendar possible:
Perseverance Level Sponsor
($10,000 and above)
Center for Restorative Breast Surgery, LLC
Scott Sullivan, MD and Frank DellaCroce, MD
PO Box 8664Metairie, LA 70011
www.breastcenter.com
888-899-2288
Strength Level Sponsor
($5,000 and above)
The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction
James E. Craigie, MD
PO Box 446Mt. Pleasant, SC 29465
www.naturalbreastreconstruction.com
866-374-2627
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