"No matter how much sensation you have, I think you have to relearn your body and relearn what it's like being intimate with someone with your body . . . and that's scary," Nance said. She and her partner are still exploring what it means to be intimate post surgery, and she described it as a journey they're figuring out together.
Exercise also helped her find a sense of normalcy. "Being able to regain strength and control and flexibility and all of those things is, for me, the most empowering thing," Nance said. And, she's grown to appreciate her body for what it's done for her thus far.
"I think another thing that's really important to me is knowing that my body has showed up for me at every step of this process and learning to love my body because of that," Nance said. Her body got her through a breast reduction in August 2019 to prep for her mastectomy; the mastectomy itself; and a third surgery, fat grafting, in July. So, rather than resenting the changes to your body, Nance suggests cherishing the strength it provides you.
