Kia Lee Chooses Prosthetic Nipples 2 Years After Stage III Breast Cancer Mastectomy
Updated
Updated · Katie Couric Media · Jun 12
Kia Lee Chooses Prosthetic Nipples 2 Years After Stage III Breast Cancer Mastectomy
1 articles · Updated · Katie Couric Media · Jun 12
Summary
Two years after a right-breast mastectomy, Kia Lee said custom prosthetic nipples helped her regain a sense of bodily autonomy and control over how her reconstructed breast looks.
The choice followed a 2023 Stage III breast cancer diagnosis at age 38, months of chemotherapy, and a surgical shift from an expected lumpectomy to mastectomy when cancer cells remained too close to the nipple.
Lee underwent unilateral mastectomy with immediate tissue-expander placement, then completed reconstruction through gradual saline fills while adjusting emotionally to the loss of her nipple.
She declined a permanent nipple tattoo after reconstruction, saying the removable prosthetic option mattered because it let her decide day by day whether to wear it.
Lee framed that flexibility as part of survivorship, arguing that recovery after cancer is also about learning to live in a changed body rather than simply finishing treatment.