Genevieve (Gen) Kroeker, is a breast cancer survivor who went through the Breast Care Program at St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
Gen was living her life as a chocolatier, business owner, mother of a French Bulldog, and had just gotten married to her husband. Instead of planning her future with her husband, Gen had to go through treatments and think about breast reconstruction.
Three years later, Gen is now a model for the Show and Tell Lounge at the Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day, hosted by St. Joseph’s.
BRA day provides an opportunity for breast cancer patients and survivors to explore breast reconstruction options, speak with surgeons and meet with former patients. “People are coming and making the hard decision about what they’re going to do about their future, and so hopefully there’s a little something to show how beautiful and sweet it can be after,” says Gen.
Gen’s cookies
Last year, Gen baked special BRA Day themed cookies for the models that attended the event. This year she will be bringing even more to share with the attendees as well.
“I wanted to make cookies that were really beautiful but very nontypical, I decided to represent all different skin colours, different types of reconstruction, some have port scars, some have one side, some of none, I just wanted to represent everything the models have been through.” says Gen.
Gen said the Breast Care Program at SJHC was “very personal, its not as clinical.” and said her surgeon Dr. Sarah Knowles Medical Director of St. Joseph’s Breast Care Program, was “incredibly understand” and that she was “surrounded by a great team who really cared for your overall health.”
Dr. Knowles highlights the importance of “doing a lot of information sharing, frequent meetings with patients, and really trying to explore what their goals are for their care and trying to figure out what they would like to do and match with what options are available.”
An important question that Dr. Knowles asked Gen was “In three years, what will you want?”
The event will take place Thursday, Oct. 23 from 6-9 pm at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Gen, other models, and surgeons will be there to answer any questions about breast reconstruction and to support any others facing the same decision.
