“How important my breasts are to me surprised even myself.”

Day after day, we accompany women with empathy through the challenging period of a breast cancer diagnosis and beyond. One of these touching stories is that of Mira Klein. After a life‑changing diagnosis and personal low points, she found new strength and perspective for her future path with the support of the interdisciplinary team at the Breast Center Zurich and the Affidea Plastic Surgery Group.

Her experience vividly shows how important comprehensive, holistic care is care that considers both medical and emotional aspects.

The breast cancer is gone, but the struggle is not over: on the way back to life, psychological support, plastic surgery, and tattoo artists are needed, as the example of Mira Klein shows.

Mira Klein can certainly be described as a positive person. She often begins her sentences with phrases like “Fortunately…” or “The good thing was…”.

One would forgive her if she looked at her story with less generosity. Two and a half years ago, Mira Klein received the diagnosis of breast cancer. She lost her health, a breast, her hair. At the same time, her marriage fell apart and she lost her job. But she survived. The doctors were able to give her a new breast. And Klein found people who helped her cope with all the blows of fate. “Fortunately.”

The 47‑year‑old decided to speak about what she experienced—to encourage others affected by cancer and to show how important the support services are that help women after the illness.

The Diagnosis

When Mira Klein felt a lump in her breast at the beginning of 2022, she was not overly worried. To be safe, she made an appointment with her gynecologist, who referred her to a specialist. Soon it became clear: it was a tumor.

At first, they assumed it was the size of a two‑franc coin. Then they spoke of a five‑franc coin. And finally, it became evident that it was a multicentric cancer that had already affected the entire breast. “After the biopsy, I stood trembling in front of the clinic and called my wife at the time,” Klein recalls. “I told her: You have to pick me up, I can’t do this alone.”

Treatment began quickly: chemotherapy from March to August, with severe side effects. Klein, who used to run half‑marathons regularly, could barely get out of bed on some days.

Dizziness and nausea made life difficult. Her skin became increasingly sensitive to sunlight. Her eyes were dry, her gums receded, her digestion slowed, her joints hurt, her fingers felt numb. Her nails became brittle and thin. And of course: her hair fell out.

Symbols of Femininity

Mira Klein tells her story during a meeting in Zurich on a beautiful summer day. She is dressed in sporty clothes, and her hair has grown back. She wears it shaved short on the sides, with a few silver stubbles glistening in the sun. On top, the hair is already a bit longer, tied back with an elastic band.

You learn a lot about yourself in such an extreme situation, says the German‑born woman. “I realized that I could cope with losing my hair.” At the same time, she understood that she did not want to live with only one breast in the future.

Before her illness, Klein viewed cosmetic surgery with suspicion. She found it “terrible” when her niece had her breasts enlarged. “But then I got sick. And the more I thought about it, the clearer it became that I wanted to have two breasts again once I was healthy. It surprised even me how important my breasts are to me.”

A Placeholder in the Breast

Every year, around 6,500 women in Switzerland are diagnosed with breast cancer. Survival rates have risen significantly in recent years: nearly nine out of ten women are still alive five years after diagnosis.

Constanze Elfgen, senior physician at the Breast Center in Zurich, says: “In Switzerland, where the resources and possibilities exist, the vast majority of patients choose reconstruction.” For many women, the breast is a symbol of femininity. “Losing it is psychologically devastating. This is, of course, also strongly influenced by societal expectations.”

Dr. Elfgen was the one who removed Mira Klein’s breast in late summer 2022. Because the tumor was too large to preserve the breast, she removed the entire glandular tissue, leaving only a thin layer of skin. A plastic surgeon was also present. Together, they inserted a kind of plastic placeholder so the breast could later be reconstructed.

Until Christmas, Klein had to undergo radiation therapy on the affected tissue. Afterwards, she went into rehabilitation so her body could recover before the reconstruction.

A Complex Operation – Is It Worth It?

The plastic surgeon who reconstructed Mira Klein’s breast is named Doris Babst. She is a senior physician at the Plastic Surgery Group in Zurich, located in the same building as the Breast Center. Klein chose reconstruction using her own tissue. This promises a more natural result than silicone, but the procedure is surgically demanding.

In August 2023, one and a half years after the diagnosis, Babst removed a large piece of skin and subcutaneous fat from Klein’s abdomen, including an artery and a vein. From this, the new breast was formed. The artery and vein were microsurgically connected to the blood vessels near the sternum.

Klein is satisfied with the result. But the scar on her abdomen troubled her at first: “For the first two weeks after the surgery, I could hardly stand.”

Is it worth it, given that the procedure is not medically necessary? Klein thinks for a moment. “I believe so. It’s about what I see in the mirror—not primarily about how I look at the swimming pool.” In autumn, she will undergo another operation to align the two breasts and correct a nipple.

While Klein’s nipple could be preserved, this is not possible for all patients. In such cases, the nipple can also be reconstructed. If desired, a medical tattoo artist can create a new nipple using brown and red tones, making it look as natural as possible.

Doris Babst says that 25 years ago, a breast heavily affected by cancer was usually removed entirely. “The fact that today we can often preserve the skin envelope, reconstruct the breast with the patient’s own tissue, and even offer nipple tattoos is incredibly valuable for affected women.”

Seeing the Positive

Mira Klein says her body no longer feels like it used to. “And yet, right now, I feel really good.”

She credits this partly to a psychotherapist she met during rehabilitation after radiation. “It was a total match.” They still meet every six weeks. “She taught me to shift my focus away from the negative and to see what is going well again.”

Psycho‑oncology—psychological support for cancer patients—is now offered at all certified breast centers in Switzerland. Klein says it meant a lot to her to have all specialists under one roof. “I would generally recommend psychological support to every patient.”

In her case, several crises came together. Shortly after the diagnosis, her marriage ended. “That was brutal,” Klein says. “But I’m grateful that she supported me during the treatment, even if only as a friend and no longer as a partner.”

Klein lost her job in the healthcare sector just days before the mastectomy. Her employer probably did not believe she would ever return fully, she suspects. But she cannot prove it.

Allowing Intimacy

Dr. Constanze Elfgen says that for many women, it is difficult that the illness is not visible in its early stages. Most feel healthy until the diagnosis. “The shock is enormous when you learn that there is a potentially deadly cancer. It shakes your trust in your body and in life itself.”

Society often shows little consideration for those affected, Elfgen criticizes. As mothers, employees, and partners, women are expected to meet high standards. “There is often no room for illness.” She often observes that patients feel as if they are in a tunnel during treatment. The major crisis comes afterwards. “Fortunately, we are now more aware of this issue and can offer help.”

During treatment, Klein repeatedly had phases where she felt she was falling into a hole. Sports helped her during this time. “Whenever it was physically possible, I tried to move.”

Professionally, Klein has recently joined a reintegration program. She has also found a new love. It feels unfamiliar to allow intimacy again—with this new abdomen, the new breast. “But somehow, through all of this, I’ve learned to allow beauty even more.” The universe, Klein says, actually means well with her.

Redaktioneller Artikel im Tagesanzeiger.ch, von Jacqueline Büchi. 

Translated with Copilot