Breast Cancer -Stories of Survival with Health Reporter Haley Hernandez CH2 News

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Local surgeon donates time, money to perform breast reconstructive surgery

 By Haley Hernandez – Health Reporter

^^Click the image to watch the video ^^
^^Click the image to watch the video ^^

Breast cancer and domestic abuse awareness month just ended, but this survival story is so incredible, it’s not simply bringing awareness to those unfortunate circumstances.
Antonietta is a testimony of how to invent a happy life when life has not treated you well.
“Dr. Rose, I don’t want to see it,” she cried when Dr. Franklin Rose of Utopia Plastic Surgery opened her chart to a photo of her body post-mastectomy.
“I have a lot of memories, really ugly,” she said.
In 2003, this mother of two’s cancer diagnosis did not include love, support and pink ribbons. Instead, she says an abusive husband got meaner, called her a monster and stood in her way of reconstruction.
“He pinched me and said no!” She said. “I was scared of him.”
After five years of misery, battling the disease and making constant trips to the emergency room, she says a doctor (doing a test out of suspicion) found extremely high levels of arsenic in her body.
“He gave me poison. So I didn’t know, I didn’t know every other week or every week I go to the hospital really sick,” Antoinetta explained when she finally realized those times of illness were a result of the alleged poisonings.
Faced with allegations of abuse, she says her husband vanished and he’s never returned.
So recently, she’s felt free and confident. She found information on The Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation, first given to her at a time when she had to hide it from her husband.
“One day I’m folding my clothes and I found the number,” she said the number literally landed in front of her.
She booked an appointment with Dr. Rose, and once he heard her story, he agreed to perform reconstructive surgery for free.
“She’s come along nicely. We put in a tissue expander, put in an implant, we still have a couple more stages to go with her but she looks great,” Dr. Rose said.
Antoinetta says she feels great too! She agreed to share her story with us to show her family how good things come to those who persevere.
“Every day I pray and I said ‘God send me angel,’” Mendez said. “God hear me every day. Thank you so much, Dr. Rose.”
Antoinetta said she never pressed charges against the alleged abuser, she says she was concerned about the implications it would have on her children.
That can be a typical concern among victims, but that does not mean anyone has to be secretly scared. For anonymous help with an abuser, you can call this National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233.
See the video and read the original story in it’s entirety:


ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS:

TONIGHT on KPRC Channel 2 News at 5 pm Health Reporter Haley Hernandez talks with Dr. Franklin Rose & patient Antoinetta about her journey post-mastectomy & survival with help from the Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation in Houston

Houston Woman’s Road To Recovery Following Horrific Ordeal after Breast Cancer & Mastectomy

PICKING UP THE PIECES POST-MASTECTOMY; A BREAST CANCER STORY OF SURVIVAL
haley-hernandez-pic2014

Houston Woman’s Life on the Road To Recovery Following a Horrific Ordeal After Treatment for Breast Cancer and Mastectomy

HOUSTON, TX; November, 2016 – Antoinetta M., a mother of two was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent subsequent mastectomy of her left breast in 2003, but the ordeal that was to follow on her road to recovery will shock you.  
Just as Antoinetta began the process of recovery and rebuilding her life, believing her cancer ordeal was behind her, her life at home became a nightmare.
At a time when she was going through what she supposed to be perhaps the most challenging time of her life thus far, her husband–who should have been there to support her, in sickness and in health, during her treatment and recovery immediately thereafter turned on her.
Although her marriage was not “perfect” before her diagnosis, no one could have imagined what would come next.  Following the mastectomy of her left breast, her own husband began to refer to her as “a monster” telling her that she was unlovable and “no longer a woman.”  In 2007, she suffered a stroke and during that time her husband would “gaslight” her; in an attempt to convince her that she was losing her mind by turning the lights in her home off and on and trying to convince her that she was crazy.
Divorce following a diagnosis of cancer is not uncommon unfortunately however despite all of this, Antoinetta was reluctant to give up on her marriage and was determined to try to make things work. Yet in 2008 she again fell sick and was in the hospital every other weekend with doctors unable to determine the cause.
After several months of visits to the emergency room, one of the doctors pulled a piece of her hair in order to check for toxins in the body.  Results from that test showed an extremely high level of arsenic poisoning of 69%.  
Dr. Rose's patient Antoinetta post breast reconstruction following mastectomy surgery
Dr. Rose’s patient Antoinetta post breast reconstruction following mastectomy surgery

Her husband had been slowly poisoning her according to Antoinette, although she ultimately decided to not press charges in order to both protect her two children and in order to close that tragic chapter of her life – and to fully focus upon a personal journey of healing both her body and her mind.

Antionetta had recently been praying for an angel to help “fix her breasts”, and one particular day she  found The Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation’s number in a jewelry box.  She had been given the number 13 years ago by a nurse following her mastectomy procedure.

Antionetta is now in the process of reconstructing her breasts with Dr. Franklin Rose and the Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation, and has become inspired to go back to school to study nursing in order to help others.
 
Antionetta is a true survivor, and hopes that sharing her story can help someone who may be going through a similar situation. 
Dr. Franklin Rose is not only renown throughout his celebrated career as the doctor for Hollywood starlets and reality TV stars– he also performs many necessary breast revision and necessary breast reconstructive surgery for uninsured and under-insured cancer survivors via the Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation and other medically necessary surgeries to improve the quality of life for of his patients. 

ABOUT THE HOLLY ROSE RIBBON FOUNDATION: The Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation was established in 2004 in honor of Holly Harwood Skolkin and now in her memory by Houston Plastic Surgeon Dr. Franklin Rose and silhouette artist Cindi Rose. The Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that provides 100% free reconstructive surgery to un-insured and under-insured post-cancer patients at no-cost to the survivor. We also offer grief counseling, college scholarships to cancer survivors or to those who have lost a parent to cancer, and arts in medicine activities for children currently undergoing cancer treatment at area hospitals in Houston, Texas.

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Breast Cancer -Stories of Survival with Health Reporter Haley Hernandez CH2 News
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Breast Cancer -Stories of Survival with Health Reporter Haley Hernandez CH2 News
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Reporter Haley Hernandez talks with Dr. Franklin Rose & patient Antoinetta about her journey post-mastectomy & survival with help from the Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation in Houston
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Dr. Franklin Rose MD
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