Dawn’s Story

In June 2015, Dawn Gavlinski had a normal mammogram. So when bruises the size of a thumb showed up under her left arm a few months later, she chalked it up to a tight bra.

“I thought it was digging into me,” the 52-year-old Edgewood resident says. “But then my lymph nodes were also swollen.”

Gavlinski, who had previously had cysts in her dense breasts, began wondering if a former cyst had returned. In October, after an ultrasound and biopsy, Gavlinski learned the source of her symptoms: she had stage two breast cancer.

Weeks of chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center helped to shrink the tumor. She decided to have both breasts removed and reconstructed at Johns Hopkins Bayview’s Breast Center.

Breast Reconstruction in the 21st Century

At the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, breast surgeons work together with plastic and reconstructive surgeons to provide multidisciplinary care and the latest surgical and reconstructive options for patients with breast cancer, including nipple-sparing mastectomies; three-dimensional nipple reconstruction and tattoos; autologous reconstruction that uses a patient’s own tissue to rebuild the breast; and tissue expanders and implants.

“The technical expertise that we have, along with constant communication with our patients, leads to excellent outcomes,” says Mehran Habibi, M.D., medical director of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus.

“We treat each patient individually,” adds Kristen Broderick, M.D., assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery. “Their reconstruction is based on what’s important to them and their body shape.”

Most breast reconstruction takes place in stages. Women often are able to begin their reconstruction immediately at the time of their mastectomy. Tissue expanders—inflatable breast implants designed to stretch the skin and muscle to make room for a more permanent implant—are usually inserted at the time of the mastectomy. Dr. Broderick gradually filled Gavlinski’s expanders with a salt-water solution for several months. She received her implants in August.

“I felt like a woman again,” Gavlinski says. “I felt whole.” Eventually, Dr. Broderick will transfer fat from Gavlinski’s body to her breast skin to fill out the shape. “Dr. Broderick is very thorough,” Gavlinski says. “She wanted my breasts to look as natural as possible.”

Sue’s Story

Sue Burrs, a 44-year-old Pennsylvania resident, also opted for staged breast reconstruction after Dr. Habibi performed her double mastectomy. As soon as Dr. Habibi was done, Dr. Broderick took over to insert the tissue expanders.

After the mastectomy, Burrs says the emotional toll of losing her breasts finally hit her.

“I didn’t feel feminine,” she says. “And I had some depression and anxiety. But each time Dr. Broderick filled my expanders, I started to feel like my old self again.”

Burrs received her implants in September. In a few months, she plans to have a three-dimensional nipple built using her own tissue.

A Natural Look

“They can make the nipple look so real, you don’t even know that it’s fake unless you touch it,” Burrs adds. “It’s amazing.”

That level of detail, combined with the surgeons’ expertise and personal attention, is why Burrs and Gavlinski say they chose the Breast Center for their reconstruction.

“It takes me about an hour to get here, but it is well worth the drive,” Burrs says. “I’m healing nicely.”

“The doctors and nurses are all about hearing what I have to say, how I feel and what I want to do,” adds Gavlinski.

To schedule an appointment with the Johns Hopkins Breast Center on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus, call 410-550-8282.