BE AWARE AND INFORMED. DON’T BLINDLY BELIEVE ‘THE NEW ONES ARE SAFE’ SPIEL.  In 2024, ALL breast implants are still experimental devices lacking long term safety data. There is no standard protocol of medical care. And for the most-part there isn’t a system for tracking device failures, illness and/or patient notification of recalls.  Many plastic surgeons seeing the awareness collage included in this post will be quick to say that they are the ‘old’ breast implants and that the ‘new ones‘ are safe. However, the ‘new ones’ (current breast implants on the market) though touted as bei ..read more

Standing Committee on Health (HESA) report:  ‘STRENGTHENING THE OVERSIGHT OF BREAST IMPLANTS’  November 2023 44th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Our thoughts: The Standing Committee on Health (HESA) met, with excellence, the objectives of their study into breast implant safety and creation of a national breast implant registry. We applaud the Committee on their unanimous, bipartisan recommendations (listed below). We would like to especially acknowledge HESA co-Vice-President, Mr. Luc Thériault, for his commitment to women’s health and safety. We are grateful to him for suggesting that the ..read more

THIS ANNUAL MEMORIAL HONOURS WOMEN GLOBALLY who’ve lost their lives after having Breast Implants. It includes long-time advocates and women whose implants may or may not have definitively, or directly, factored into their death. Just being a silicone sister is enough. If they were part of our community we want to acknowledge them. This year, 2023, marks its seventh observation.  September 25th, the date chosen is the actual death date of BETTYE CAROLINE YALLER, but it’s representative of ALL of our fallen sisters. ‘REMEMBERING FALLEN ANGELS OF BREAST IMPLANT ILLNESS & ..read more

On May 11, 2023, I presented, along with patient advocates Terri McGregor (BIA-ALCL) and Julie Elliott (BII/BIA-ALCL), as a ‘witness’ to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA) – Oversight of Medical Devices (Breast Implants).  Mr Luc Thériault, Bloc Québécois, Montcalm, Québec, Vice Chair of HESA, called for a study of the oversight of medical devices with focus on the potential creation of a Canadian breast implant registry.  Over decades previous calls for a Canadian breast implant registry through the legislative process have failed. I’m cautiously optimistic th ..read more

Nine years ago today, October 29, my badly ruptured silicone breast implants were removed. I’ve been celebrating every day since (I know I say that every year, but its true). That said, I still live with the harm of migrated silicone. Silicone migration is a key, as yet unresolved issue for me in terms of advocacy, but IF YOU ONLY GET ONE TAKE-AWAY from my 9th Explantaversary blog post, let it be that after 60 years there is STILL NO LONG TERM SAFFEY DATA for BREAST IMPLANTS.  Anyone who has, has had, or ever will have breast implants is a ‘for profit’ human guinea pig. PERIOD. MAKE NO M ..read more

DOCTORS must consider how they’ve become so ‘WILLFULLY BLIND‘ Doctors must also consider why they choose medical gaslighting over believing their patients. Why they continue to deny REAL WORLD EVIDENCE over decades when the ‘jig is up’. During a recent breast surgery conference, which I attended virtually, I watched a plastic surgeon’s presentation which I felt was classic ‘gaslighting’ presented as ‘science’.  The plastic surgeon was introduced as being one of the leaders in breast augmentation surgery. Her ‘conflict of interest’ disclosure reveals she works for a breast implant manufac ..read more

‘Seeing with awareness’ .. When people see women with breast implants they usually notice the exterior without any awareness of what it might look like within the breasts and chest wall. There may be nothing visually obvious that would indicate a problem within. Even women with breast implants are generally quite unaware. They might still be loving their implants, but might be shocked if they knew the truth of it. Invariably, the inside will be looking very different from the outside. Photo collage: This woman had a badly ruptured implant and her ribs were concave, sunken in from the weight of ..read more

THIS ANNUAL MEMORIAL HONOURS WOMEN GLOBALLY who’ve lost their lives after having Breast Implants. It includes long-time advocates and women whose implants may or may not have definitively, or directly, factored into their death. Just being a silicone sister is enough. If they were part of our community we want to acknowledge them. This year, 2021, marks its fifth observation. September 25th, the date chosen is the actual death date of BETTYE CAROLINE YALLER, but it’s representative of ALL of our fallen sisters. ‘REMEMBERING FALLEN ANGELS OF BREAST IMPLANT ILLNESS‘ was crea ..read more

To give context to our letter writing campaign … Months ago we suggested to a regulator that they provide information on their website advising where women can go for help and what they can do when they have migrated silicone. We knew all too well that there is NOTHING and NOWHERE. Sometimes surgeons will remove a silicone filled lymph node(s), though most surgeons are reluctant to do so. Or surgically excise silicone embedded into a muscle, as in my case where my surgeon removed my pectoralis minor muscle because it was embedded with silicone. She also removed silicone granulomas, a large sil ..read more

‘MAKE GOOD TROUBLE’ LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN (Regarding: Migrated Silicone and zero industry accountability): LETTER TEMPLATE  PLEASE NOTE: This template is specific to Canada, but can be changed as needed to address any country’s regulating body.  LETTER TEMPLATE INSTRUCTIONS: This letter TEMPLATE is intended to make it easier for ladies with migrated silicone to write to their country’s regulatory authority to demand that the issue of migrated silicone cannot be ignored.  It could also be adapted for those not already diagnosed with migrated silicone, but feel this is an import ..read more