At first glance, you’d never know that DeAnn Fylling is a breast cancer survivor. She’s a fitness fanatic, a first sergeant in the North Dakota Army National Guard, and a saxophone player to boot. But this Bismarck resident has been through the wringer.
A fast-growing cancer led her to opt for a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction through Sanford Health plastic surgery.
“I had Stage 3 breast cancer,” Fylling said. “On my mammogram just one year prior, there was nothing. So it had grown, and it had grown fast.”
Doctors walked her through her options, including a unilateral mastectomy, to remove only the affected breast. But Fylling chose a different route.
“I have three girls. At the time they were 14, 10, and 6. Mostly just thinking about my kids, I just really wanted to give myself the best shot at longevity. And so I decided pretty quickly to go with a bilateral,” Fylling said.
Fylling would have both breasts removed, but not before grueling rounds of chemotherapy.
Choosing breast reconstruction
During that time, she had to decide whether or not to pursue breast reconstruction. She relied on the advice of her oncology team, including her breast surgeon Jesse Dirksen, M.D., from Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“There’s just a level of femininity that I wanted to maintain,” Fylling said. “I never thought that I really cared that much about how my chest looked. I had considered just going flat and just having my breasts removed altogether. He encouraged me to look at photos and just see what that looks like. He said there would be probably like some concave on my chest.”
Fylling chose to have breast reconstruction done at the same time as her mastectomy.
“All of my team of doctors, especially the plastic surgeons, they’ve just been really supportive in helping guide that decision while knowing that at the end of the day, I had the autonomy to kind of choose what I wanted.”
Complications, then restoration
Following surgery, Fylling went in for more treatment, this time in the form of radiation. Four months post-op however, there was an infection on the other side of her body. She was treated close to home by Sanford Bismarck plastic and reconstructive surgeon Andrew Mills, M.D.
“The decision was made to proceed to the operating room to explore, remove the implant, obtain cultures, and first treat the infection,” said Dr. Mills. “We ended up doing two different washouts. And on the third surgery, after the third washout, we were able to go in and replace the implant.”
Since then, the two have stayed in touch.
“Dr. Mills in particular has just been really, really patient with me,” Fylling said. “I was never looking for a breast augmentation, you know? It was just kind of what happened as a part of the cancer journey.”
That’s what Dr. Mills emphasizes most about the work he and his team do at Sanford Health.
“At its core, plastic surgery is all about restoring form and function,” said Dr. Mills. “A lot of women, every time they see themselves in the mirror, it’s a stark reminder of the trauma, the cancer, chemo, radiation, everything they have gone through. So it’s very rewarding to be in a situation where we can try to give them back what the cancer takes away.
“We will never be able to give them what they had before, but to try to make it so they feel feminine and confident. It’s very rewarding to see that and to be able to have that impact on patients. It’s very, very rewarding.”
Learn more
- Podcast: Your surgical options after a breast cancer diagnosis
- Breast reconstruction during mastectomy surgery
- Breast cancer isn’t one-size-fits-all
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Posted In Bismarck, Cancer, Cancer Treatments, Plastic Surgery
