N E W N IPPLES MA DE ME
feel complete
TATTOOED, RECONSTRUCTED OR STUCK ON – NEW NIPPLES C AN TRANSFORM BODY CONFIDENCE. WHICH IS WHY RACHEL WALKER IS USING HER EXPERIENCE OF BREAST C ANCER TO HELP OTHERS FEEL FABULOUS ONCE MORE
For many women one of the toughest parts of their breast cancer journey is looking at their new breasts without nipples. It’s not just that it makes them look different, it can also have a big emotional impact in terms of how they feel about themselves as a woman and sexually. After a multitude of operations Rachel Walker, 53, was so frustrated by the challenges she faced she finally started a company to help others with the problem. Rachel’s story started with a breast cancer diagnosis in May 2013... ‘I’d found a lump a few years before I was diagnosed,’ says Rachel. ‘I went to the doctor, who said it was hormonal and nothing to worry about, but I went back again when I noticed my nipples were leaking. Again I was told it was hormonal. Finally in May 2013 I found a lump by chance when I lay down so I went back a third time. I was referred to the one-stop clinic where I had scans and biopsies and was told immediately it was cancer. ‘I was diagnosed with three different types of breast cancer and told it had spread to my lymph nodes.
176 | FUTUREDREAMS.ORG.UK
I underwent a bilateral mastectomy, corrective surgery and was told I’d need to exchange my original implants because the doctors were concerned about the material used. In all I’ve had 11 procedures and I’m just waiting for my 12th. ‘I was so extremely grateful and humbled by the outstanding care I received from the NHS, but in 2015, although my surgery was far from complete, I decided that a prosthetic nipple would help make me feel normal and make my breasts feel balanced by optical illusion. At this time my
