National Breast Cancer Reconstruction Awareness in San Francisco

BRA Day 2022

Dr. Horton and her team share their thoughts on what Breast Reconstruction means to them, how they have been personally touched by breast cancer and what they would say to any women out there who are facing a breast cancer diagnosis in this new video created to honor Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day in 2022.

BRA Day 2021

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s BRA Day was celebrated virtually via an On-Demand Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Benefit put together by The Plastic Surgery Foundation (PSF). Dr. Horton was honored to Chair this exciting fundraising event which sought to raise awareness and funds to benefit patients in California who are undergoing breast reconstruction.

BRA Day 2020

Due to the pandemic, BRA Day was celebrated virtually in 2020. Dr. Horton, a specialist in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the breast, and Everviolet founder Keira Kotler held a special Facebook Live Chat on Monday, October 12th. Their conversation covered various surgery options, patient practices and medical challenges during a pandemic, as well as each of their personal experiences with breast surgery.

BRA Day 2019

Dr. Karen Horton is honored to participate in her 8th annual San Francisco Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day on October 16th, 2019. This year, she is dedicating her new Before & After Instagram account to breast reconstruction patients in honor of BRA Day. For the month of October, Dr. Horton will feature at least one new breast reconstruction patient journey with before and afters and a full description of their reconstructive journey every day in October. See Dr. Horton’s Before & After Instagram and learn more about BRA Day 2019.

BRA Day 2018

BRA Day 2018 San Francisco, the 7th annual Bay Area Breast Reconstruction Awareness event hosted by Dr. Karen Horton, featured a brand new format that outdid itself!

2018’s BRA Day event featured wine tasting by Mood Swing Wines and vendors including local women-owned businesses including gourmet mini cupcakes, jewelry, skin care, and businesses supporting breast cancer care.   A revolving slide show featured before & after breast reconstruction images and explanations of the most common breast reconstruction procedures available to women.

Dr. Horton acted as MC, attendees hit the dance floor to live DJ’d music, and dozens of items were raffled off to attendees.  Each attendee took home a personalized BRA Day 2018 stemless wine glass keepsake and swag bags.

Most special was a live fashion show featuring the inaugural debut of Everviolet, a beautiful lingerie and loungewear collection that nurtures the changes in a woman’s body following treatment for breast cancer.  Models, trained by professional model coach Charleston Pierce, were breast cancer survivors (many of whom were patients of Dr. Horton) or active breast cancer patients strutting their stuff on the runway.

See the slide show below for highlights of this incredible event!  What will 2019 have in store? Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive advance notice of October 2019 events!

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2018 Bra Day Gallery

Breast Reconstruction QUICK FACTS:

Many women eligible for breast reconstruction following cancer surgery are not being informed of their options. All women should know their options. It’s time to close the loop on breast cancer.

Studies have revealed:

• 89% of women want to see breast reconstruction surgery results before undergoing cancer treatment.
• Less than ¼ (23%) of women know the wide range of breast reconstruction options available.
• Only 22% of women are familiar with the quality of outcomes that can be expected.
• Only 19% of women understand that the timing of their treatment for breast cancer and the timing of their decision to undergo reconstruction greatly impacts their options and results.
• See before and after results of breast reconstruction using the DIEP flap or implants on top of the muscle. Breast reconstruction results can also be revised to achieve improved symmetry or balance, even years later.

Why BRA Day?

Breast reconstruction is IMPORTANT. Breast reconstruction is a LEGAL RIGHT. And many women don’t know about their options for breast reconstruction, particularly procedures that spare major muscles of the body, procedures that save nipples, use implants in a single stage and that use state-of-the-art microsurgical techniques to create a new breast.

Dr. Horton strives to help women facing breast cancer never experience the loss of their breast, to achieve symmetry, to reach their individual goals for their body and to help them move forward after a breast cancer diagnosis or a BRCA diagnosis/prophylactic risk-reducing surgery.

Breast reconstruction following a mastectomy or lumpectomy is not for every woman, but every woman should be informed of the options to which she is legally entitled. In this spirit, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) lead the Breast Reconstruction Awareness USA Campaign, one of the few breast cancer campaigns dedicated to building awareness around breast reconstruction options.

• All women who are candidates for breast reconstruction should be made aware of the options available to them.
• All women who are candidates for breast reconstruction should be offered treatment in a safe and timely manner.
• Federal law mandates coverage of breast reconstruction for all breast cancer patients, even if such reconstruction is delayed until after other treatments.

Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day, or BRA Day USA, is an initiative designed to promote education, awareness and access regarding post-mastectomy breast reconstruction with singer/songwriter Jewel as the national spokesperson.
BRA Day was first launched in 2011 in Canada and now will occur annually on the third Wednesday of October. The first-ever National Breast Cancer Reconstruction Awareness (BRA Day) in the United States took place in San Francisco, CA on October 17th, 2012. It was a great day and we thank everyone who came and made it such a success! Below are some photos of the event for anyone who missed it. Please contact our office with any questions or for more information on the event.

BRA Day emphasizes the “Team Approach” to breast cancer care from diagnosis through reconstruction. The BRA Day campaign combines a mix of new and old media, including public service announcements for commercial TV, social media campaigns, advertising, aggressive outreach to the media, clinical research, international collaboration and grassroots events.

See images from past BRA Day events in our BRA Day blog posts!

For additional information:
Visit http://www.bradayusa.org for more information, or learn more on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BreastReconAwareness

View Before and After Breast Reconstruction Galleries

DIEP-SIEA Flap Gallery
TUG Flap Reconstruction
Delayed Implant Reconstruction
Immediate Implant Reconstruction
Revision Breast Surgery