Myself: Together Again: One Young Woman's Story of Breast Cancer Recovery and Reconstruction

The Myself: Together Again Project (M:TA) started as a Susan G. Komen North Carolina Triangle Affiliate grant in 2006 and grew to become a 501 c-3 public charity in 2007 after our appearance on the Today Show. From 2006-2010 Debbie and the M:TA Team worked tirelessly to get our first book into hospitals and Dr.'s offices all over the world. Our mission was simple: we wanted women to feel empowered and educated going into tissue expander breast reconstruction following mastectomy surgery. We felt strongly that if women could see real "process" pictures when they first meet with their plastic surgeon after diagnosis then they could be better prepared to be an advocate for themselves throughout the breast reconstruction process.

Debbie Horwitz, M:TA's founder and leader was diagnosed with breast cancer 8 years ago when she was 32 years old and engaged to be married. Debbie lost her mother to breast cancer and 9 years old yet she still was not prepared for what she would look like following double mastectomy surgery and reconstruction. At Debbie's initial plastic surgeons appointment she asked to see pictures of what she would look like through each stage of the journey and her surgeon informed her that those type of process pictures did not exist. From that point forward Debbie set out on a mission to change that and make sure that the women that came behind her, diagnosed with breast cancer, would have the pictures they needed in order to feel educated about reconstruction.

In 2010 M:TA celebrated 5 years of doing this work and Debbie and her team celebrated the many people who have made this work possible; in particular, M:TA's lead sponsors (see above). See our 5 year anniversary video here. Today, there is a second book that was produced in 2011 with a patient named Sherri. Debbie knew that her reconstruction and subsequently first book was beginning to be outdated and it was time to take a look at what women are experiencing today with reconstruction.

The M:TA Project team hopes some of your questions are answered within the pages of our books. But remember, your own medical team knows your unique situation best. This is just two women's stories and it is important to know that reconstruction results will vary for each woman. The Myself: Together Again books are available on this website through Paypal or on amazon.com. (First book is available in Spanish)

 

Online Donations

Myself: Together Again is a 501 (c)(3) public charity. For a copy of M:TA's IRS determination letter, click here. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. With your donations, the M:TA project focuses on maintaining our website, educating and exhibiting at conferences around the country, and sharing booklets. Thank You for visiting our site and showing interest in this project - it means a lot to us. Myself: Together Again (M:TA) has been able to help thousands of women in all parts of the world by offering them a visual guide to reconstruction. It is important to note that in remote areas, M:TA booklets are given out free of charge. Also, when an agency/group/patient cannot afford a booklet, one or several copies are provided to them. In 2009 alone, 250 booklets were distributed to women around the country, free of charge.

 

Introducing M:TA Book II with our new subject/patient, Sherri

In this second book and video series, we discuss Sherri's choice to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy with tissue expander reconstruction. Breast reconstruction has changed a lot over the years, especially since our first booklet came out in 2006 so we are bringing you the latest. Check out our Videos page and follow along with Sherri's journey.
 

M:TA Honored to be Saks Key to the Cure Charity

On October 19th M:TA is being honored by Saks Department Store here in Raleigh. Saks all over the country will be celebrating their Key to the Cure weekend and each Saks chooses a charity from their city to be the recipient of some of the sales from the shopping weekend. On Friday October 19th we will be having an honorary luncheon from 11am-1pm here in the Raleigh Saks store. Stay tuned for details on how to be a part of the luncheon. We are so excited to have Carole Radziwill as our keynote speaker - it should be a wonderful event. *October 19 is a school workday here in Wake Co. so schedule your babysitters and come join us.

Pictured: We want to extend a special thank you to Lux Salon for donating their Triangle Style ad space to raise awareness for our October 19th event.

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