[ Every Patient Deserves a choice ]
Breastoration helps remove the financial barriers that can stand between mastectomy and reconstruction.
Practical support, education, and advocacy help make informed choices about medically necessary breast reconstruction achievable.
[ OUR MISSION ]
Making reconstruction more accessible
Breastoration removes barriers to medically necessary breast reconstruction following mastectomy due to a breast cancer diagnosis or genetic predisposition to cancer.
Insurance may cover surgery, but it does not pay for travel, temporary lodging, childcare, lost wages, or the everyday expenses that can prevent patients from completing treatment. Breastoration helps remove those barriers through advocacy, education, financial assistance, and support.
[ The Breastoration Difference ]
Protecting patient choice through four connect initiatives
Breastoration focuses on the practical realities that often determine whether reconstruction remains achievable. We do not recommend physicians, hospitals, or procedures. Those decisions belong solely to patients and their healthcare professionals.
1
Removing Financial Barriers
Breastoration helps eligible patients cover practical breast reconstruction expenses not covered by insurance, including transportation, temporary lodging, childcare, caregiver support, and recovery-related needs. Grants are designed to remove barriers—never influence medical decisions.
2
Educating
Patients
Informed patients are empowered patients. Breastoration supports educational initiatives that help individuals understand their breast reconstruction options, participate in shared decision-making with their healthcare team, and make choices aligned with their personal goals and values.
3
Advocating
for Access
Supporting individual patients is essential, but lasting change also requires addressing barriers across Louisiana. Breastoration advocates for improved patient education, greater access to medically necessary breast reconstruction, and every patient’s right to make informed treatment decisions.
4
Building Collaborative Solutions
Improving access to breast reconstruction requires collaboration. Breastoration works with surgeons, hospitals, academic medical centers, patient navigators, legislators, community organizations, and philanthropic partners to identify and address the barriers patients face.
[ Every Patient Deserves a Choice ]
Insurance may make reconstruction possible. Patient education and practical support help make informed choices achievable.
Breast reconstruction is often the final step in a long cancer journey—but for many patients, the greatest barriers aren’t medical. They’re practical.
Insurance may cover surgery, but it doesn’t pay for travel, temporary lodging, childcare, lost wages, or the everyday expenses that can prevent patients from completing treatment.
A single mother with two children ages 5 and 10 diagnosed at age 31 with Ductal Carcinoma.
She had a double mastectomy and reconstruction on 05/25/2026.
… She then had a revision, which removed excess tissue. Once biopsied it showed that she would need 3 weeks of radiation.
Her employer will allow her to return to her job once she is cleared. They did pay her for 4 weeks of sick time. However, it will be 8 to 12 more weeks until she can potentially return to work. As of now, 4-5 months without pay. She does not have short- or long-term health benefits.
This is a substantial loss of income.
Along with being diagnosed, she lost her sister to breast cancer in 2024, her mother was diagnosed with cancer 6 months later and she lost her father to cancer in the past few months. She travels about 60 miles round trip and has been having issues with her car, which adds to her financial stress.
“Every patient deserves the information, practical support, and opportunity to make an informed decision about medically necessary breast reconstruction.”
- BREASTORATION
[ Looking Ahead ]
B R A I L
The Breast Reconstruction Access Initiative for Louisiana
BRAIL builds upon more than a decade of patient assistance, education, advocacy, collaboration, and longitudinal data to identify barriers, strengthen patient education, support evidence-informed public policy, and improve access throughout Louisiana.
[ Make a Difference ]
Help make an informed choice achievable
Breastoration focuses on the practical realities that often determine whether reconstruction remains achievable. We do not recommend physicians, hospitals, or procedures. Those decisions belong solely to patients and their healthcare professionals.