Last week, breast cancer survivors and fighters attended Saint Peter’s University Hospital’s annual Breast Reconstruction Day, or BRA Day event, where the focus was on raising awareness about options patients have following breast cancer surgery.

The theme for this year’s event, being held as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, was “Creative Expression Through the Arts” and featured storytelling and artwork of and by survivors, as well as items including a pink police car, decorated bras and casts of women’s breasts.

One of the survivors in attendance was Madison Piassek. Two weeks after graduating from college at age 22, with no family history and no genetic predisposition, she received a breast cancer diagnosis. She called it a “case of bad luck.”

After her initial diagnosis, Piassek underwent a lumpectomy and four rounds of chemotherapy over three months before deciding to go through with a double mastectomy. While in surgery, however, her doctors found a second tumor. She opted to go through with breast reconstruction surgery.

“When it came time to decide whether I would get reconstruction or not, the decision was easy. I knew right away that I would get reconstruction,” said Piassek. “Just on account of how young I am. And it was really a body image issue. I think I’m living proof that breast cancer, it’s not just an older women’s disease, it can and does happen to young women.”

Whether to get reconstructive surgery or not is a personal decision, but Dr. Susan McManus, director of Saint Peter’s Breast Center, says for all women,  the best protection is early detection.

“That’s the lesson for the month of October, is that we must make sure that our loved ones get a mammogram,” said McManus.