"I Already Learned Those Lessons" — Renee

Renee was 50 when her first mammogram came back with a diagnosis: ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). She had a lumpectomy, radiation, and got on with her life. Two years later, the DCIS was back -- same breast, more aggressive, with a feature called comedonecrosis that changed the calculus entirely.

This time, Renee came to her surgeon armed. Two years of research, Facebook groups, Reddit threads, and hard questions had prepared her to advocate for exactly what she wanted: a double mastectomy with flat closure, performed by both a cancer surgeon and a plastic surgeon, in a single surgery.

But the medical story is only half of what makes Renee's experience remarkable. A biomechanical engineer who has been doing aerial circus since her early 40s, Renee has turned cancer fear into something else entirely -- performance art. Her "Maria Variations" series uses aerial acrobatics to move through the emotional stages of diagnosis and treatment, from purgatory to recovery. In this episode, Renee talks about the decisions behind flat closure, navigating the Canadian healthcare system, the group therapy that changed how she approached her second diagnosis, and why she refused to cancel a single thing until she absolutely had to.

This is what cancer actually looks like -- not the warrior, not the miracle. Just a person, figuring it out.

-- Go to ChangedByCancer.com for show notes and episode links

More info about Renee:

-- YouTube: @reneef1608

-- Vlog: https://youtube.com/playlistlist=PLObEuAagsg7_a2loLvCPBY6zHKXdw923t&si=HsMjsvrdslHq9h6A

-- Instagram: @cirqueduoldlady

-- Website: www.lucidengineering.ca

Resources mentioned:

-- Wellspring Cancer Support: wellspring.ca

-- Goldilocks mastectomy technique -- ask your breast surgeon

Research articles referenced:

-- Hosaka N, et al., J Clin Pathol, 2006. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1860433/

-- Sobti N, et al., Sci Rep, 2020. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6981172/

-- Cevallos P, et al., Ann Transl Med, 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10777214/