BreastReconstruction.org is pleased to announce that the documentary film, “Resilience,” is available for online viewing! This gripping documentary follows one woman’s life after a difficult recovery following risk-reducing mastectomies.
Lisa Csencsits started cycling competitively just three years before she underwent risk-reducing bilateral mastectomies with implant breast reconstruction. This proactive choice came in response to an inherited increased risk of breast cancer. Lisa, a mother of two, intended to mitigate her risk in part to avoid having her children see her ill. Unfortunately, life-altering post-mastectomy pain rendered her unwell instead, sidelining her in nearly all areas of life, from the deeply engaged parenthood she was used to to competitive cycling.
Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome (PMPS) is an underserved condition that leaves up to a third of patients with chronic pain in the breast, chest, and/or underarm areas after mastectomy. Lisa found herself within that third. Sharp, chronic pain fatigued her and limited her mobility. She could not reach over her head or grab a cup from the cabinet or life and carry her sons.
Lisa underwent a revision procedure with a new plastic surgeon, Jonathan Bank, M.D., who is one BreastReconstruction.org’s Board of Directors. The procedure changed everything. Suddenly, she was out of pain, able to do everything she cared about—including cycling. Lisa reentered her life with incredible vigor, and when it came to cycling, that vigor translated to competitive victories. Those victories inspired many, including her medical team.
Despite her many challenges, Lisa rose to become a contender for the US National Cycling Championships, thanks in part to a gene that gives her an extraordinary ability to convert oxygen into energy. Her story and her genetics are deeply intertwined, as she inherited both a high risk for breast cancer and the oxygen conversion that gives breath to her cycling from her maternal side.
“Resilience,” produced by Jonathan Bank and David Trachtenberg, delves into Lisa’s inherited risk of breast cancer, her extraordinary physical resilience, and the complexities of family dynamics, including a decade-long rift with her mother. This 20-minute meditation of self-actualization, exploration, and the power of human mind and body follows her path forward, literally and figuratively. Watch it on YouTube now, hosted in partnership with Living Beyond Breast Cancer!
*Resilience is part of the Reblossom Project, promoting breast cancer awareness and breast reconstruction education through the BreastReconstruction.Org foundation, supported by Allergan Aesthetics (an Abbvie Company).
