"The Heal is Real is not here to tell you what to do. It’s a resource to help women be their own medical advocate, and to start BII sufferers on the road to recovery."

When a friend suggested Akemi Fisher join the Facebook group Breast Implant Healing by Nicole in October 2016, she clicked ‘accept’ and didn’t think much about it. She had implants, yes, but they weren’t causing trouble. She continued her busy life as an entrepreneur and mom.

And then the health problems began. Insomnia, back pain, headache and appetite issues persisted. Heart palpitations became so alarming that she was afraid to work out – the thudding in her chest was too great. Weight gain and anxiety followed in a vicious cycle as she stopped exercise altogether.

After medical tests came back normal, she remembered that Facebook group she’d joined, and the information was a revelation: All the evidence was there. Women were having the same issues she was, unable to find a diagnosis and getting sicker by the day. The proverbial light bulb went off: She had Breast Implant Illness (BII). It was time for explant.

“As women, we really know our bodies; we sense when something’s wrong,” she says. “There was so much evidence that I did in fact have BII.”

It took months of research and waiting lists to find the right surgeon. After the operation, she learned a level four muscular contraction caused by an implant had been causing the back pain. As soon as she awoke, a ‘brain fog’ lifted. Her health problems vanished soon afterward. The heal, she realized, is real – and she had a responsibility to spread the word.

“I never expected that explant would offer more than physical recovery, but as soon as I was rid of those implants, I had to grapple with the reasons I’d gotten them in the first place,” she says.

Today, as hundreds of thousands of women grapple with symptoms they cannot explain, Akemi Fisher shares the solution: say ‘no’ to implants in the first place – or schedule that explant surgery and begin the path toward healing. 

The Heal is Real exists to inform and educate the public about BII. By sharing the latest research developments, explant information, testimonials from women stricken with the illness and more, it helps women make the right decisions for them. Whether that ultimately ends in explant or not, she says, is up to the individual. Future plans include having the nonprofit assist women in need with explant surgery costs.

“The Heal is Real is not here to tell you what to do,” she says. “It’s a resource to help women be their own medical advocate, and to start BII sufferers on the road to recovery.”