Breastless Intimacy: A Celebration of Love, Loss and Learning (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780989953627)

In September of 1992, Cynthia Leeds Friedlander's sister died of aggressive metastatic breast cancer. Three months later, she was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer and chose to have bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction surgeries. In 1998, Friedlander wrote a poignant memoir about her sister's journey and her own through breast cancer diagnoses and surgeries and about her encounters with men, as a breastless single woman. Twenty years after her bilateral mastectomy surgery, she went through implant exchange surgery as a result of the collapse and internal leakage of one of her original saline implants. Following that more recent implant exchange surgery, she wrote Full Circle, an epilogue to her memoir. When Angelina Jolie made her announcement that she had chosen to have prophylactic bilateral mastectomy surgery, Friedlander became highly motivated again to get her memoir published and get her story out there on a big platform. "This is a book from my heart. I have written it as a gift, as a celebration of love, loss and learning. It's a book for those who are making, or have made, decisions to alter their bodies and are dealing with intimacy after those alterations. ... By describing a wide variety of my experiences, I can provide a mirror for others to validate their own experiences and to open up a whole new world of perspectives, possibilities and adventures for them." Cynthia Leeds Friedlander, author of "Speak Easy, The Communication Guide for Career and Life Success"- is a seasoned executive coach and career counselor, adept in managing sensitive work-related issues. In addition to her corporate consulting, she has a private counseling practice, and has worked with thousands of individuals, throughout her extensive coaching career. Prior to becoming a career coach, she taught French and Group Guidance. Cindy grew up in the fashion industry and came to New York for the first time with her parents on a buying trip when she was six years old. She lives in New York City and has an 1830s country farmhouse in Upstate New York. She is a dog lover, folk and blues music devotee, and nature enthusiast. www.wordscraftpress.com