operation explant

After decades of ailments and the inability to hold an “office job” because I was constantly sick, I was led to the entrepreneur life with a focus on health and wellness products. That’s how I met Erica, and she is the reason my life is about to be reclaimed at the age of 51.

Erica had mentioned several times over the past year that she was having her implants removed for her own personal reasons, but I hadn’t connected the dots or understood WHY the explant was so important. Until one day, it just clicked - she sent me to some Instagram sites with images of the implants removed with all the scar tissue, and I knew that it was time for me to do something.

Once I realized I had Breast Implant Illness, BII, I began to write down my timeline of the past 24 years. I unraveled the reality that I had constant health challenges since the day I decided to augment my breasts in June 1996, and I completely broke down. Initially, I was humbled by the feeling of relief, followed quickly by shame and frustration - I spent the following several days emotionally lost and in shock.

My life flashed before me:

Less than one year after receiving the implants, out of nowhere, my entire body was suddenly covered in a painful skin rash. This led to steroid injections, and endless tears because ultimately I lost 70% of my pigmentation for nearly a decade of my life. My diagnosis was Tinea Versicolor. After multiple doctor visits, it was an Acupunturist who calmed my reaction and flareups. I also flew to Thailand for a 6 day fast and colonics cleanse…but it was about 10 years until most of my skin color returned.

As time progressed, I was diagnosed with one autoimmune disorder after another. I currently live with Sjrogrens, Hashimotos, Antiphospholipid Syndrome, MTHFR and anemia.

I also had 6 miscarriages, the most traumatic of which I gave birth to my stillborn son who died at 22 weeks gestation of a rare heart defect. This in turn led to my future high risk pregnancies for both of my daughters.

As I age, my symptoms have increased significantly. I live each day with shooting pains of fibromyalgia and neuropathy, memory loss, brain fog, constant joint pain, extreme foot pain, dry skin and eyes, consistently migraines, as well as, lengthy healing time just for the basic cold.

Once the shock subsided, needless to say, google quickly became my best and worst friend! The information online can easily keep anyone up until dawn. I spent many nights full of anxiety and sobbing my eyes out! In my exhaustion, in my complete naivety, I couldn’t figure out if my grief was anger or embarrassment? I had no idea how many women have been suffering silently along side me when I thought I was all alone.

My story will further unfold as you watch our docu-story, and our mission is very clear - we need to get the word out to every human being on the planet! Not only for those suffering now, but also for generations to come, for my daughters and their daughters, we are here to shift the paradigm around female body imaging and to inform and educate the masses about Breast Implant Illness.

Originally born in Los Angeles, CA, currently living in Taos, NM for the past 16 years, I gratefully learned incredible life skills as an international Flight Attendant for 14 years, based in Los Angeles, Chicago and London. I’m madly in love with my husband Beau - we are in our 9th year of our second marriages and we have 3 kids, two 18 year olds, Jasmine and Joseph, and our 6 year old, Miel. I live a blessed life as a mom, wife, entrepreneur, experienced network marketer, blogger, and an autoimmune warrioress ❤️

My life has unfolded around adventure, travel, seeking out various healing modalities and supporting others around their health.

My profound love of animals led me to a career as a Vet Tech. I reached a crossroads when I was accepted into a Veterinarian degree program and simultaneously received a full scholarship for a psychology degree. I was drawn to a career in Occupational Therapy because it was the best of both worlds. It allowed me to incorporate working with animals as an integral part of the process in helping people to heal in psycho social aspects as well as the physical.

In my 23 years of practice, I have been blessed to work with a diverse array of diagnoses and have treated every age, from babies to the elderly. I have studied many holistic and science based techniques that focus on working with the body at a cellular level. The treatments I provide support people on both physical and emotional levels, bringing about resolution of both acute issues as well as repressed wounds and old injuries that have been stored in the body. 

My journey into the world of fascia began studying John Barnes’ myofascial release, which I then followed with Visceral Manipulation through the accredited Herman and Wallace Institue for Pelvic Rehabilitation. I experienced patients’ bodies change under my hands with this work. It gave them profound relief and I realized this was the missing link for many people. My eyes were opened to the importance of the fascial system and the understanding of the enormous role it plays in our structure and our wellbeing. 

I suffered with pelvic pain from a young age. I discovered first hand the lack of understanding, compassion and information doctors can sometimes have when five different doctors told me it was ‘because I am a women’.  In a myofascial release treatment I received I discovered that my pelvic pain was connected to scar tissue from a ruptured appendix.  This experience led to me specializing in treatments for women’s gynecological health.  My focus and my purpose became centered around the healing, education, and wellness of women based on holistic scientific approaches. My passion is so strong that I founded a non profit offering free treatments from myself and other holistic practitioners, including Equine therapy, to women who have been sexually abused, exploited and trafficked.   

I had my own breast augmentation surgery 13 years ago and have been fortunate to not experience any contractures nor serious illnesses.  However, I have been unable to resolve tightness, pain and restrictive movement in my chest and upper back. I suspect it is very likely a result of the scar tissue that forms around each implant. Realizing the gravity of the emotional and physical toxicity and trauma that implants can put on the body has been a tumultuous journey of discovery. It is empowering to take my journey and put it out into the world to help educate and support women on an even greater scale.

Michael Estrella is a Los Angeles-based storyteller whose videos, short films, photography and world travel reflect a career fueled by his persistent curiosity about people, cultures and life -- in all of their mysterious forms.  His Company Avelane Road Inc. and work naturally gravitate toward peculiar perspectives on the internal affairs of life itself.   Slices of beauty, humor, irony, respect compassion and passion are some of the various common traits that emerge through his lens.  His observations are equally matched by his active participation in the grand scheme.  

If there’s a crowd, he’ll be in the middle of it, a deserted road, he’ll go down it, an “interesting” looking person, he’ll engage conversation.  Whether it’s the slums of Cambodia, the streets of New York, the rain forests of the Amazon, the sands of the Sahara, or the sets of some of Hollywood’s top film productions, Michael involves himself in projects that invite you to truly see, feel and experience what is before you.   He basically likes to “get into it” (with the camera).   His efforts and path have allowed him to work with such recognizable names as Johnny Depp, Katy Perry, Justin Beiber, Jennifer Lopez, Harrison Ford, Ozzie Osbourne, Jane Lynch, Ray Leotta to name a few.  Michael has over 20 years of film production/photography experience.   Approaching every new introduction, project and adventure with genuine energy and inquisitiveness, he prides himself on delivering beyond expectations. One thing is for sure when working with Michael, you see things from a memorable perspective.