Group helps women facing reconstructive breast surgery

After Alisa Savoretti had a mastectomy in 2003, she wanted to undergo breast reconstruction but, being uninsured, faced a major roadblock: paying the $25,000 medical bill herself.

That same year, the former showgirl started My Hope Chest, a nonprofit group dedicated to providing free breast reconstruction to the women who "fall through the cracks of the medical system."

Four years later, the group has funded one surgery and tentatively has two in the works. It's tough vying for the same dollars as other charities in town, Savoretti says, but she hopes to increase the number of women helped by getting the word out about the organization.

In her case, Savoretti returned to dancing in "An Evening at La Cage" with costuming that hid her missing breast. Her group insurance paid for her reconstructive surgery more than two years after her mastectomy.

She says she felt like she had to do something to help women who were in the same predicament as she, and starting My Hope Chest seemed the best way.

"If I didn't, who was going to? I really didn't start the charity because it was a good thing to do. I was without a breast and without money," she says. "It's hard enough to go through the treatment itself. But to then come out the other side without a body part and not have anywhere to turn" can be devastating.

Insurance often covers the cost of reconstructive surgery, but sometimes women are diagnosed in between changing insurers or jobs and then must incur the cost themselves. That often leads to financial hardship that is difficult to recover from, Savoretti notes.

The typical procedure consists of three surgeries and costs about $25,000. My Hope Chest tries to work with surgeons who charge a Medicare rate of $10,000, Savoretti says.

The chapter is in need of volunteers to help with fundraising efforts and administrative needs, she says. For more information, call Savoretti at 579-0799 or e-mail her at info@myhopechest.org.