With Harrowing Urgency, the Surgeons . . .

by Elizabeth Squire

“Well, first the gyno felt my tits,” Kayla says matter of factly. The doctor felt lumps in her breasts. At just 18 years old Kayla Talmadge had tumors in both her breasts.

Kayla likes to tell people she’s 5 feet but that’s still a stretch when she’s pushing 4’11. Still miniature in her chunky heels you wouldn’t think Kayla was intimidating, but don’t let her small size fool you. Kayla knows what she wants and stands up for herself. In seventh grade an eighth grade girl spilled water on Kayla at a school dance to be mean, most girls would call their mom for a ride, Kayla grabbed a water and poured it over the girl’s head.

“I cried in the doctors office when they told me I had to have surgery, I asked if my mom could come in, she started crying too,” The doctors all stressed a harrowing urgency to Kayla so appointments with surgeons to operate and remove the tumors were made right away. “ The first surgeon we talked to wouldn’t do the surgery because I was too young, I thought he was going to cry the whole time he was talking to us, it was strange,” Kayla said. Before the surgery Kayla met with doctors around the clock where doctors took pictures and drew on her to prep for surgery but Kayla said the mammogram was the worst part, “ They squeezed my boob so hard! I never want to get one again!”

The surgeon Kayla choose cleared all his appointments to operate. Kayla was brought into a little white room and dressed in a gown before the doctors came in to draw where the incisions would be made. They inserted the IV and put her out. “I wanted only my mom and dad to come with me to the hospital, I was so nervous but happy the day was here and I could get it over with,” Kayla said.

After the surgery Kayla was out of high school recovering for three weeks.  “I wouldn’t have told anyone if I didn’t have to but people would ask where I was when I was out.  How do you tell someone both your ta-ta’s had tumors during gym class, it was weird to talk about.”

Once the tumors were removed Kayla was already scheduled to be back in the hospital for reconstructive surgery soon after her 19th birthday. Kayla felt one breast was noticeably bigger than the other. “ They look better now after the surgery but I don’t like all the scars, I think they’re ugly.”

Kayla turned 20 this October and began working in a salon two days a week doing manicures and pedicures and hopes to start her career as a hairdresser soon. While all her friends were getting ready for college after high school, Kayla stayed home looking at hair dressing academies. “ I knew school wasn’t for me, I had a hard time in high school and this is what I always wanted to do.”

The doctors told Kayla she has a good chance of getting more tumors. Thankfully, the tumors removed from Kayla’s breasts were benign but she says, “ If I had to get surgery again I would tell the doctors to take it all off and give me fake boobs,” she said laughing. You can tell she’s completely serious though, she knows what she wants.