Three hours to hope.
Two local survivors traveled to the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans — and found more than medical care.
By Cynthia Reeves Photos by Kate Treick Photography and provided
Two years ago, Nadea White of Pensacola felt a pea-sized bump on her left side that sent her on a difficult journey back to health that included a bilateral mastectomy. At one point, she hit a roadblock. Hope for quality restorative surgery seemed impossible, but a chance encounter led her to The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery and St. Charles Hospital in New Orleans. Now she is completing a series of surgeries to get her body back to normal.
Magda Morton of Navarre has a similar story. She too had a bilateral mastectomy. Reconstruction on her left side was failing due to complications from radiation. She feared her body would never look symmetrical. Finally, she was referred to the same center in New Orleans. There she discovered a surgical team that seemed to be able to do the impossible — make her whole again.
“I was so relieved. These people were amazing. It was like my doctor had a ten-pound brain. How he explained everything — and the staff — they’re unbelievable!” Morton said.
White was living in Northwest Arkansas when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, so she continued with her surgeon there despite a move to Pensacola. Her plastic surgeon was highly respected, but suddenly, he had to retire due to his own health issues. White had just started a series of surgeries to reconstruct her breasts, so she was heartbroken. She knew she had to start from scratch to find a reputable doctor, but on the flight home, the very next day, she sat next to a woman who told her about the center in New Orleans.
“She showed me the website on her phone and told me a little bit about it. It was like God closed one door and the next day he opened another — literally,” White said.
Both women learned that the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery is world-renowned in the field of breast reconstruction. The website explains it is “the only hospital of its kind in the world that welcomes women from all over the continental U.S. and abroad.”
Co-founder of the center, Dr. Scott Sullivan, explains why the center’s surgeons are so unique.
“They aren’t just leaders — they’re visionaries and global pioneers who have revolutionized the field of breast reconstruction. By developing some of the most cutting-edge techniques now embraced around the world, they’ve given women confronting breast cancer more than options — they’ve given them possibility, beauty and a path to healing,” he said.
The center features several state-of-the-art breast repair and reconstruction surgical techniques, including nipple sparing mastectomies. When that is not an option, the nipple may be recreated using either 3D or 4D technique.
“Both are designed to highlight the beauty of our procedures that restore feminine form,” Sullivan said.
He went on to say that women choose the center because they “deserve care that feels deeply personal and profoundly skilled — and that’s the promise we deliver every day.”
Morton felt like she was at the Taj Mahal of medical facilities because every detail, from chandeliers to the private rooms, 24-hour service, the food menu, and soft robes, made it feel more like a spa experience than a hospital setting.
“They are perfectionists. They just have a different level of care,” Morton said.
White agrees. She felt safe and pampered, too.
“They just really do exceed all expectations of any kind of medical experience you’d ever have,” she said.
“When you’re facing a breast cancer diagnosis, every decision feels immense,” Sullivan explained. “The world-class expertise, groundbreaking techniques and an environment of compassion redefine what’s possible.”
Recovery is more than medical procedures, and Sullivan said there’s truly something different about the care women receive in New Orleans.
“At the Center, healing is about restoring not only the body, but dignity, confidence, and hope.”
Both White and Morton feel a renewed sense of hope and emphasize that it is well worth the three- to four-hour drive to New Orleans.
Want more information? The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery, 1717 St. Charles Ave.,
New Orleans, LA 70130. Phone: 504-826-3156. Email: breastcenter.com
Photos provided by Center for Restorative Breast Surgery
