A Howlong mother has become the first person to undergo reconstructive breast surgery in Albury on the New South Wales–Victorian border.
In 2018, Reegan Lions was diagnosed with breast cancer or invasive ductal carcinoma.
She was just 34.
The mother-of-three, who has no family history of the disease, underwent a mastectomy in the same year.
"It was just by pure luck that we picked it up, so it was a huge shock for us," Mrs Lions said.
The loss of her left breast left her feeling self-conscious.
Mrs Lions said she no longer wanted to go swimming in public and found it difficult to find clothes she felt comfortable in.
"Regardless of body image and how obsessed you are with that, you walk down the street, and you are constantly worried," she said.
Donation made operation possible
The now 37-year-old spent about two years on a waiting list to have a breast reconstruction in Melbourne.
"We had to travel to Melbourne a lot at the start of this whole cancer journey, all the specialists were in Melbourne," she said.
"It was a huge strain on my family, not only financially but for my children who were constantly being left with family and friends."
And then in 2019, she received news that she would be able to have the surgery less than 30 kilometres away in nearby Albury.
The seven-hour procedure was made possible by a $337,000 donation from the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund to purchase the reconstructive surgery equipment.
"At 34, you're still quite young really and to look so different it was just so hard," Mrs Lions said.
'Immense benefits' for border patients
The breast reconstruction was performed by plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr Queenie Chan.
Since Mrs Lions' surgery, Dr Chan has performed an immediate reconstruction — done at the same time as a mastectomy for another mum living near the NSW-Victorian border.
The new equipment has also been used on a motorbike accident victim and has the potential to extend to head and neck cancers in the future.
Speaking at the trust's annual general meeting Dr Chan said the equipment including a surgical microscope and skin grafting machine brought "immense" benefits to Albury Wodonga Health and its patients.
"For many of our patients, it has eliminated the need for them to travel unnecessarily to Melbourne," she said.
"This is what is going to provide us with the united and comprehensive service that we so desperately need and ties in with our oncology medical and surgical services, diagnostics and our reconstructive service as a whole."
