Testimonials

Akemi Fisher shouts EXPLANT from the proverbial rooftops to anyone who will listen. The Heal is Real is her platform to reach as many people as possible with the news that breast implant illness is a real concern for those who undergo breast augmentation with implant.

Fisher opted for breast augmentation shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Kira. The implants were a cosmetic election, not a medical one; she figured the pain during recovery would be worth it for a new shape. Possible health effects experienced from the actual implants never crossed her mind as a concern. After the surgery, she continued her busy life as an entrepreneur and mom. She didn’t think twice about her decision.

And then the health problems began. They were all consistent with breast implant illness, though she didn’t have a name for the suffering at the time. The insomnia and back pain were crippling. Her heart palpitations became so alarming that she was afraid to exercise; the thudding in her chest was too great. Weight gain and anxiety attacks followed in a vicious cycle.

Medical tests came back showing normal results, but by then Fisher had heard about BII and was convinced she was afflicted with it. All the evidence was there. The more she read the anecdotal accounts of women having the same issues, the more she felt compelled to take control of her own health and to spread the word about BII to others. First would come explant, she decided; second, a BII information revolution.

“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 that I didn’t think twice about explant. I knew afterward I would tell my story.”

The explant journey was eye-opening. It took months of research and time spent on waiting lists to find the right surgeon. After the operation, she learned a level four muscular contraction caused by an implant had been the reason for her back pain. As soon as she awoke from surgery, the pain was gone and her ‘brain fog’ had lifted. Her other health problems vanished soon afterward. The heal, she realized, is real. it was time to spread the word.

She had done extensive research about breast implant illness and explant pre-surgery, but even she was surprised at how much better she felt after explant. To think that implant removal alone was the cause of her suffering was difficult to believe, but here she was, healthy for the first time in years. The next step in healing wasn’t physical – it was emotional.

“I never expected that explant would offer more than physical recovery, but as soon as I was rid of those implants, I had to deal 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 those 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.

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