Testimonials

“When you first hear, “You have breast cancer,” your only concern is survival. Then, you start understanding the impact surviving will have on the life you’ve known. Dr. Habash made this path much easier and certainly more peaceful for me. As a journalist, I was aware of DIEP flap microsurgical breast reconstruction and the incredible success rates. I also realized the last thing I wanted after finding cancer was any additional foreign elements in my body – even implants. I wanted my body to look like me, feel like me, and yes, even age like I was intended to if cancer had not become part of my life. I couldn’t even finish my question when asking my breast surgeon about a bilateral DIEP flap surgeon. She immediately told me to talk to Dr. Habash. My conversations with other survivors and those in the breast cancer community backed up the recommendation – this guy was known not only as one of the best, but the surgeon you wanted. I braced myself for a stereotype of the brilliant but arrogant surgeon. What I got instead was someone I soon felt was a partner in returning my life to normal. From the consultation forward, Dr. Habash listened carefully to any questions or concerns I had and thoroughly explained what I should expect. We could talk and laugh with each other in a manner that made me calmly confident we’d reach the other side with the successful results I hoped for. A few months after surgery and a recovery much easier than I imagined, I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror. I didn’t see the reflection of a cancer patient. I looked like me. Today, my scars are rapidly fading. I’m back on the tennis court and in yoga classes. When new cancer patients are brave enough to ask to see my results, the response is almost exactly the same: joyful tears when they realize they can come through this journey and still be comfortable with — and even proud of — their bodies. Dr. Habash, his surgical talents, as well as his commitment to those of us lucky enough to be his patients, helped turn me into more than just a physical survivor. His work encouraged my emotional recovery and triumph as well. That can never be quantified in a medical review.” —WT

I have enjoyed Dr. Eggleston as my doctor. He is very nice and easy to talk to. He thoroughly explained the surgery procedure which is very important. Also – he was concerned and stayed in touch after my surgery (had reaction of some kind). I would use Dr. Eggleston again! He is great. Thanks.

“There is no greater blessing than restored health and complete peace of mind when faced with a major medical decision and that is exactly what I received from Dr. Habash and his entire staff. Sylviana, you have this amazing gift of reassuring and calming a Breast Cancer Survivor’s fear when facing reconstruction surgery. Your willingness and openness to share your personal medical experience left no doubt in my mind that Dr. Habash was the perfect choice for me. Thanks for caring and sincere spirit. Dr. Habash, you are an extraordinary gifted surgeon who delivered amazing results. Your patience, sincerity, compassion and talented skills touched my soul and helped me to stay in a positive mindset. From the initial consultation visit, easing my fears and apprehensions to the post care encouraging me it would be okay. You never once rushed me through an appointment, making me feel like I was your only patient. You are a blessing to the medical profession and to your patients. I could not imagine going through this unwanted journey without you. Thanks for skillfully and beautifully restoring me physically and emotionally. My family and I are grateful and thankful that God blessed me with you”. – AJ

“I was referred to Dr. Habash after a very long road of treatment and various surgeries for breast cancer. I had previously had reconstruction with a breast implant that failed and had to be removed. Dr. Habash offered the DIEP Flap as an option. I am so happy with the outcome. After six long years, I finally feel normal again. Dr. Habash and his staff are awesome, caring people. They understand what we, as breast cancer survivors, have been through and what our needs are. Mine was the need to just have a second chance at being normal again. Dr. Habash gave me that back and I am so greatful for that. I would recommend Dr. Habash to anyone thinking about reconstruction.” —DB

He kept my family informed during my 6 hr surgery. His bedside manners were great, kept me updated on my condition and kept me as comfortable as he could. I am very pleased with the care i have received with Dr. Boehmler. Thank you.

“The quality of treatment and compassion that I received from Dr. Habash and his staff was amazing. Having battled breast cancer twice in 8 years, I had many scars from 10 previous surgeries as well as skin burned by radiation. The results of the surgery were better than I could have imagined! He had explained everything to me in detail in advance, including what to expect during recovery, and his staff was ready to answer any questions I had. They were also very knowledgeable about how to communicate with my insurance company in order to get the best coverage for this surgery. Every member of his staff is friendly and compassionate and made me feel comfortable throughout the entire process.” – BH

“Dr. Habash is an amazing and wonderful surgeon. He’s very understanding when it comes to your needs. He has made me feel and look wonderful. When I look in the mirror I look great and I feel the way I did before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I owe it all to Dr. Habash and his wonderful staff. They are all so amazing!. I recommend Breast Reconstruction Associates to anyone who wants to restore what cancer has taken from them”. – IG from Fort Worth, TX.

Exceptional doctor in every aspect!! I was a breast cancer patient and he made my experience so much more tolerable. He has moved his practice to another state. If I were ever in need of his services again, I’d definitely fly to the state of his new practice to be seen and treated by him again.

Very skilled Stanford interned surgeon. I’m a discerning buyer; I did lots of research before and after I met with Dr. Eggleston. One of the things that made me select him in the first place is that he remained constant in his medical opinions and could support his arguments on how and why (or not) to do proceedures. I had great concern about not having any sort of lymphedema complications. I felt as assured as I could be that my arm lift would not result in complications that would make me regret having the procedure in the first place. I’m happy to say that I have had a complication-free recovery. Dr. Eggleston genuinely likes people. Great bedside manner. Knows when to bring levity to a situation.

“I was referred to Dr. Habash by my surgeon. She spoke very highly of him and told me that she believed he could help me and that I would like him as he was an honest, straight-forward doctor. Because I was interested in having a skin sparing/nipple sparing mastectomy, she wanted me to talk to him prior to my mastectomy. My initial visit with him made me feel better about the whole procedure. He was very professional, was very honest and up-front with me and was very knowledgeable about the subject. He was very honest about what he would need me to do in order for him to do his job, but not without compassion. I immediately felt comfortable knowing that he would be doing my reconstruction. Going into this procedure, I knew very little about it. I have since learned a lot and have realized just how great this type of reconstruction can be. It took me a long time to get past the word cancer to accept the next steps of reconstruction and the healing process. I have come to believe that this is the very best type of reconstruction there is for breast reconstruction. Due to my diabetes and being overweight, I had a difficult time healing. During the whole healing process, Dr. Habash and his staff were so helpful to me, they made me feel comfortable during this very difficult time and their attitudes really helped me to hang in there and work to recover. When I read that only 5.5% of breast cancer patients have this type of reconstruction, I started to truly realize how blessed I was to have Dr. Habash as my doctor and have this type of reconstruction. At this point in time, I am totally happy with the work he has done for me. I wouldn’t do it any other way and I would definitely tell anyone thinking about it, that this is the way to go. I am very happy with the end results and would never consider any other type of breast reconstruction, and I would be happy to share my experience with anyone beginning the long road that I have traveled. My husband has stated that he is happy that I had this type of reconstruction. I will email or talk to anyone in person, I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate Dr. Habash, what a great doctor and human being he is and how much he has helped me. I would recommend him to everyone. Breast reconstruction is often an afterthought – sometimes the furthest thing from your mind when faced with a scary diagnosis. I had the luxury of time to research my options and was lucky to find Dr. Habash. Implants are a good choice for some women, but I wanted my new breasts to look and feel as natural as possible. I wanted them to be “all me.” Microsurgical reconstruction using your own tissue can be a more difficult surgery to recover from, but I am thrilled with the results. Dr. Habash is the perfect combination of skilled technician, artist, and compassionate caregiver!” —HB

“Thank you so much for everything. You have all truly been a blessing to us through this journey! Every visit and conversation has just been a joy and we always look forwarding to seeing you the next time”. – PW

“My first appointment with Dr. Habash occurred when I was still considering the type of breast reconstruction surgery would be best for me from both a medical and aesthetic perspective. Dr. Habash spent a good amount of time explaining different options for breast reconstruction, drawing pictures, and finally describing the microsurgical process he performs primarily for breast cancer patients called DIEP flap reconstruction. Although I had heard about DIEP flap reconstruction, I had many questions and Dr. Habash patiently answered all my questions, without any pressure on me to make a decision, and assured me that I could call if I had any further questions. Once I decided to proceed with my bilateral mastectomy and DIEP flap reconstruction, I contacted Sylviana to begin the scheduling process; she needed to coordinate Dr. Habash’s surgery with the breast surgeon so both procedures could be completed on the same date. Most of that scheduling and coordination was transparent to me, and I was thankful that my only decision was selecting a couple of potential dates. Before surgery, I had a pre-op appointment where I got more information about the surgery, hospital stay and the recovery; Dr. Habash’s nurse was extremely knowledgeable and answered many questions with kindness and honestly, never making me feel as though my questions were unusual or silly. Apparently most patients have similar questions, and she provided additional information that was very valuable post-surgery. I knew Dr. Habash was attentive and very particular about his surgeries when the nurse anesthetist stopped by to say hello the day after my surgery; she was very complimentary of his skills as a surgeon, his demeanor in the operating room, and his artistry with my breast reconstruction. The nurses in the critical care unit were also very attentive, apparently Dr. Habash provides detailed instructions for what to watch for in the days following my surgery; nurses were also very complimentary about their interactions with Dr. Habash, always noting his kindness and expertise. All conversations about Dr. Habash were so positive; it really made me happy to have him for my surgeon. The main characteristic that really makes Dr. Habash special is that he genuinely cares about me. All of my follow-up appointments and my adjustment were conducted with the same compassion and level of expertise as my DIEP flap reconstruction. The results of his work are fabulous. It’s been 7 months since my surgery, and my breasts look better than ever. Thank you Dr. Habash. You helped me make lemonade out of lemons.”

“Finally on the backside of my breast cancer journey, the final step was the breast reconstruction. I had my double mastectomy in June 2012. At that point I had met with a plastic surgeon thinking my only reconstruction option would be the latissimus dorsi flap procedure. The latissimus dorsi is a tissue flap procedure that uses muscle and skin from your upper back to create a new breast mound after a mastectomy. I would proceed with reconstruction only after I finished radiation and waited at least six months so that the skin would be fully ready for surgery. When the six months period ended, I went back to my original surgeon who at that point recommended Dr. Habash. He said Dr. Habash was a great doctor who is very good at what he does and had performed numerous successful DIEP procedures. He thought I would be a perfect candidate for the DIEP procedure. I left that appointment feeling overwhelmed that I was back at square one trying to decide on my reconstruction details. I immediately called to set up an appointment with Dr. Habash and spoke with his secretary, Sylviana. She eased my mind and was so personable with her experiences. I was so thankful for that phone call in that moment. She was so helpful, encouraging and informative on the DIEP procedure. I was able to meet with Dr. Habash and Amy his nurse that following week. They were beyond wonderful! They made my husband and I feel very comfortable. They sat us down to explain the procedure and we were able to ask any questions. Dr. Habash then showed us some pictures of women before and after the procedure. It was really nice being able to have a visual idea of what the procedure would look like. We never felt rushed and loved the fact that Dr. Habash made us feel like our situation mattered. After leaving that day Dr. Habash even took the time to send a follow up email with information we had discussed in the appointment. After we left I had a peace about choosing him and going forth with the DIEP procedure. I personally felt like this procedure was a better option for me because I wouldn’t have to go through a year and half of surgeries and recovering with the latissimus dorsi flap procedure. I would be done within 3 to 4 months completely with the DIEP procedure. A few months later I was headed in for my pre-op appointment. Another very informative appointment with Dr. Habash. He never made me feel rushed and answered all my questions in depth. I left excited and ready for the procedure. The day of the procedure, I went in and met with Dr. Habash. I was so comforted by him all the way up until the surgery began. As I was laying in the operating room, awaiting anesthetics, Dr. Habash would simply pat or rub my hand just to comfort me. Something so simple for him but comforting for me as a patient who is laying there. I appreciate a doctor who has such wonderful bedside manners. You can tell he is a compassionate doctor who truly loves what he does. I was grateful that he was this way and wanted everything done to the best that it could be. Dr. Habash came into my hospital room and checked on me everyday. He always came by first thing in the morning. The nurses said he was always calling throughout the day to check on me. Once again, I am so grateful for a doctor who took the time to follow through with the procedure and made sure things were going smoothly. I was in the hospital for four nights. I was able to get up and walk around the 2nd day. I had four drains and I ended up going home with one. The recovery process hasn’t been as awful as I was expecting. Each day gets better and easier to move around. I finally was able to get a good look at my new breast and flatter tummy. I love it! My breast look so natural. I was so impressed with what Dr. Habash was able to do. It was such a blessing to have had this option. After losing your breasts to such an awful disease, it was nice just to have breasts again and then on top of that, a flatter tummy! He was able to give me back the feeling of being a woman. My post-op appointment was the following week. Amy was able to remove my last remaining drain. It felt so nice to finally have that taken off! Dr. Habash and Amy sat and talked with me about the next steps from this point. They are so kind and helpful with each question. They get to know you in a personal way so that you don’t just feel like another patient. Dr. Habash, Amy and Sylviana always went out of their way to make me feel comfortable about the DIEP procedure. It was easy to communicate back and forth with them. I always left their office feeling encouraged. After everything I have been through I would highly recommend Dr. Habash and the DIEP procedure.” —NJ

“At the time of my diagnose I was referred to Dr. Boehmler, who sat down with me and discussed my options and asked me if I had questions. I felt like I was drowning with all of the information, but I can say from living through this, every single question that I had was answered. The office is so pleasant and willing to help, very kind and understanding. I later found out that some of the employees that work there have also been patients so they can sympathize genuinely with you. They can walk you through some of the things you will experience and offer suggestions when asked. I feel so comfortable in their care.” -TB

“Nothing prepares you for the moment you are told you have cancer. I was 43 years old and terrified of what that diagnosis would mean for my future. My breast surgeon laid out my options and sent me to see Dr. Habash to discuss my reconstruction options if I chose mastectomy. I was immediately impressed by how professional he was and how clearly he explained all my options, but didn’t pressure me in my decision. I left his office that first day feeling better about my future. I chose a double mastectomy and immediate reconstruction using the DIEP flap procedure and things moved very quickly from there. Sylvianna took care of all the paperwork and scheduling. All I had to do was show up. It was so nice to not have to worry about little details during such a tough time. This was a common thread throughout the next several months. Sylvianna, Ruth, and Amy were always so kind and compassionate and were really encouraging to me each and every time I was in the office for an appointment. If I had a concern, they immediately got me in to make sure I was comfortable during my recovery. I couldn’t have asked for more from a doctor or his staff. Dr. Habash even came in and did my second revision surgery on Christmas Eve, so that I wouldn’t have to start over on my out of pocket expenses by doing it in a new calendar year. He definitely goes above and beyond for his patients. He and his staff took excellent care of me throughout this journey and I can’t say enough about how happy I am with my results. Dr. Habash is highly skilled and did a fantastic job on both my surgeries. Six months later, my scars are already starting to fade and when I look in the mirror, I feel normal again. I feel so blessed to have been referred to him and that I was able to choose this method of reconstruction.” – KP

“To say thank you for all that you’ve done is an understatement. You’ve become an unforgettable person in our lives and we are so grateful to have such a skillful and compassionate surgeon treat our mother. You will forever remain in our hearts, not just for the genuine concern you have for the wellbeing of your patients, but for the amazing quality of care you provide. You are a rare gift to the profession of medicine and we are so incredibly blessed to have someone like you in our lives at the time we most desperately needed it. The gift to heal, to return and restore life, has become second nature to you. However, for those of us on the receiving end, it is something that will always be remembered and cherish.” – LC