TULSA, Okla. — The Komen Race for the Cure is this weekend, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month is coming up, but ahead of those, one woman shares her story of how she lost her breasts to cancer and now redefines her beauty in a way that some may find surprising.
Finding out you have breast cancer is scary, and going through the process to treat it can be daunting, but Diane Smith said there may be more treatment options than most realize.
"You can get through cancer and not just survive but thrive,” Smith said.
She is a two-time breast cancer survivor.
Her first diagnosis in 2010 was especially difficult because that's also when she became a newly divorced single mom of two.
"It was hard. I did a lot of screaming and crying in my car. That was my alone time," Smith explained.
After her first diagnosis, Diane followed her doctor's guidance to have a mastectomy and get implants.
"That was my only option offered to me at that time," she said.
However, during her second bout with the disease, she learned about an option she said not many know of — going flat.
"When I told my breast surgeon, she was initially against it. She said I was too young, and I needed breasts," Smith said. "That's how society deems you are feminine."
Diane said having an aesthetic flat closure procedure is what she wanted. She explained that it's healthier and a quicker recovery so she could move on to her next journey.
Part of that next journey includes awareness of the procedure.
"A lot of women are not aware flat is an option, and being flat does not make me any less of a woman," Smith shared. "I am still everything I was before and more."
She also wants to normalize it and promote body positivity around it.
As she said, "Breasts don't define a woman."
"Just as if somebody had to amputate their leg or their arm, they are still who they are," she said. "Just because we had to, or chose to, amputate our breasts due to cancer doesn't make us less of a person."
After her aesthetic flat closure, Diane got tattoos to cover up her scars.
She put sunflowers on one side to symbolize her seeking the sun and choosing joy, and daisies on the other side because they're her and her mom's favorite flower.
"It was my way of reclaiming my body back," she stated. "Flat is beautiful."
Diane says she continues to stay involved in the community, not just to bring awareness around this topic but to support other survivors.
For those who are going through breast cancer, she shares this advice.
"Do your research, be your own advocate, and speak up," she said.
With the Komen Race for the Cure event this Saturday, Smith welcomes anyone to join their group in the race and show their support for aesthetic flat closure.
The race begins at 8:30 on Saturday morning at River Spirit Casino.
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