Pediatric Dentistry Of New Tampa Now Offers Aesthetic Spa Services For Adults! 

Dr. Marta Rivera of Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center just off the Bruce B. Downs Blvd. exit of I-75, has made sure that the children of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel have had beautiful, happy smiles for more than two decades. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

Marta Rivera, D.M.D., has been one of the most trusted children’s dentists serving the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area for more than 20 years, but her Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa — located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center — added The Aesthetics Beauty Lab just a few months ago to provide skincare services for the parents of her pediatric patients (and other adults). What made “Dr. Marta,” as her patients affectionately call her, decide to add these services for adults? First, let’s talk about this popular local pediatric dentist and the services she has been providing for the children of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for two+ decades. Then, we’ll get into her new services for adults. 

Dr. Marta’s Journey 

Dr. Marta first opened her Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa in Hunter’s Green in 2003 but moved to her current location on Primrose Lake Cir. in Tampa Palms in 2008. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Marta moved to Puerto Rico at the age of 10, a place she loved growing up. However, she now considers Florida her true home, saying, “Florida, especially New Tampa, is my favorite place.” She also is fluent in Spanish, making her practice accessible to a diverse community. 

Dr. Marta graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, where she later also earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degree from the university’s School of Dental Medicine. Before moving to Florida in 1997, she ran her own dental practice in Puerto Rico. After passing the Florida Dental Board exams, she worked with other dentists before starting her own practice. 

“I’ve seen this area grow, and it’s been a pleasure to be here,” says Dr. Marta. Over the past 21 years, she has treated many patients, mostly children, but also a few adults. 

“Some of my patients who grew up coming to me don’t want to go anywhere else now that they’re adults,” she says with a smile. However, she adds that she is no longer accepting new adult patients. 

Embracing Innovation & Technology 

Dr. Marta’s office is designed with children in mind. “When I first started decorating my ‘house,’” she says with a laugh, explaining that she calls her office her house because she practically lives there, “I wanted the space to be fun and welcoming, like a second home. The practice is all about having an environment where kids feel comfortable and at ease.” 

Dr. Marta stresses the importance of starting dental care early. She takes a holistic approach to dentistry, promoting whole-body wellness. “Why think of dental, skin, and bone health as separate things?,” she asks, adding that she believes in a comprehensive approach to health, which includes proper nutrition for strong teeth and gums. 

In addition to dental care, Dr. Marta offers guidance on tooth-friendly diets and supplements that can support dental health, like Vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus. 

The office features lots of new technology, and Dr. Marta prides herself in having many devices not available at other pediatric (or even adult) dental offices. You can read about them all on her website under the “Technology” header. 

One of the most advanced treatments offered at Dr. Marta’s practice is ozone dentistry. Ozone, known by most people as the layer protecting the earth’s atmosphere, also can be used in dentistry to fight bacteria and promote healing. 

“Our bodies naturally produce ozone to fight off illnesses,” she explains. But, in dentistry, it’s used to kill the bacteria that cause cavities, without the need for invasive procedures. 

Dr. Marta explains, “The equipment is something that looks like a pen that I point at the affected area.” Ozone can save a tooth before it gets to the point of needing a root canal. 

“When a dentist cleans out a cavity,” she says, “no matter how well they clean it, there is always the possibility of some bacteria staying behind. Even the tiniest amount of bacteria can continue to grow and cause the patient to need a root canal. By using the ozone, all of the bacteria is killed before filling the cavity.” 

The ozone treatment can be as simple as pointing this pen-like wand at the tooth or, for more serious cases, the tooth can be covered and then the gas is released inside that cover. 

Ozone treatment also is effective in treating periodontal disease, preventing cavities and even promoting healing for cold sores and canker sores. It’s a pain-free, side-effect-free option that many patients appreciate. And, Dr. Marta is one of only a few hundred dentists in all of North America offering this treatment. 

Before the tooth can be treated with ozone, the dentist must clean out the cavity. There is conventional drilling but now, thanks to a company called Biolase, Dr. Marta uses a laser called the Waterlase MD. This laser replaces the drill, is less invasive and requires less anesthesia. 

Another service Dr. Marta can provide is early orthodontic treatment. Although she is not an orthodontist, because she was trained in her residency to do orthodontics, and was able to first provide it in her practice in Puerto Rico, she is able to provide orthodontic treatments at Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa. She specializes in early interventions with Invisalign First. 

“Many kids benefit from early orthodontic treatment, and Invisalign is a great option for them,” she says. Invisalign First helps address issues like crowding, spacing, and narrow arches without the need for traditional braces. 

The office also has a machine called iTero Element, which kids love because it eliminates the goop used for impressions. It is a scanning system that can capture a detailed 3D model of teeth and gums. This procedure is ideal for crowns, bridges and, of course, Invisalign clear aligners and retainers. Dr. Marta has a video on her website under the “Technology” heading where you can see how the iTero Element works. 

She also specializes in assessing and then treating infants and children with tongue or lip ties with simple laser frenectomy procedures to remove or modify a frenulum (a small fold of tissue that limits movement in the mouth). These quick, minimally invasive treatments can help babies with reflux, poor latch, or colic issues, and children with speech delays or mouth breathing. 

“We offer same-day treatment for infants because a hungry baby needs help right away,” she explains. Parents often notice improvements immediately after the procedure. 

The Aesthetics Beauty Lab 

As we mentioned earlier, Dr. Marta isn’t only focused on children these days — as she now also offers aesthetic services for her patients’ parents (and other adults) at her new “Aesthetics Beauty Lab.” 

Using advanced technology from Alma and Reveal, her office now provides services like skin tightening, dark spot treatment, hair and tattoo removal, as well as Botox and fillers. 

Dr. Marta offers the parents of her young dental patients and other adults a variety of innovative skincare treatments at her Aesthetics Beauty Lab using the latest technology, like the Alma Opus Plasma machine (below left) and the Alma IQ skin analysis machine (above). 

“We want to take care of the kids, but parents need pampering too,” Dr. Marta says. 

“I’ve always enjoyed taking care of my skin and especially my face,” she adds. “For many years I have gone to an aesthetician and when the American Dental Association gave the ok to move into this area, I was very interested and excited. A lot of dentists are now doing Botox and fillers in their offices. It is part of the dental career evolution. Everything face- and neck-related is part of our expertise as dentists.” 

It took Dr. Marta close to a year to become certified in not only the procedures she offers, but also the equipment she uses. She now has earned certifications in Master Botulinum Toxin hands-on training and Master Dermal Filler hands-on training from the American Academy of Facial Esthetics. Three of the pieces of equipment she is trained on are the ‘Alma Harmony” and “Alma Opus Plasma,” as well as the “Denza RF System.” 

Dr. Marta says that the Opus Plasma is designed to address many skin conditions. It also helps to fight aging. Sessions last about 15 minutes, as tiny needles break the skin which stimulates healing to produce new collagen and elastin. 

Meanwhile, the Alma Harmony can be used to correct dark spots, skin photodamage and more. 

The Denza RF (RadioFrequency) System can be used in a similar way. It is a non-surgical skin rejuvenation and tightening process that uses monopolar and bipolar radiofrequencies with pulsing. It targets both superficial and deep layers of the skin, thereby stimulating collagen and elastin production. Denza also can be used for body contouring. 

At this time, Dr. Marta is the only one providing these aesthetic procedures in the office. She accepts adult patients ages 18 and over. 

“As I entered my 40s, after years of suffering through adult acne, hormonal imbalances, and inflammatory auto-immune diseases, my skin was showing its battle wounds. I tried chemical peels and facials, but needed a more sustainable regimen with longer-lasting results. Then, as the skin rejuvenation Gods would have it, Dr. Marta Rivera began offering aesthetic skincare services in her beautiful “Aesthetics Beauty Lab” suite. After a thorough skin analysis, Dr. Marta suggested the Opus Plasma laser for my overall skin condition and concerns. Just over a week ago, I experienced my first of three sessions with the Opus Plasma laser. It was fairly painless, and the down time was minimal. As a busy mother, and career woman, this is a complete game-changer. With the right before-&-after-care plan provided by Dr. Marta, I was able to resume all normal activities within 3-4 days. I am already seeing several positive results. My skin appearance is more uniform, and I have a fabulous glow to my face. Several areas of hyperpigmentation are lightened, and a scar on my cheek is not as prominent. I am thrilled to move forward with the Opus Plasma series, with Dr. Marta at the helm. She has certainly outdone herself and set the tone for a streamlined process to skin rejuvenation.” — C. Gonzales 

Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa is located at 5326 Primrose Lake Cir. and is open Mon.- Thur., 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The office accepts many insurance plans, primarily PPOs. For more info or to schedule a visit, call (813) 374-0388 or visit TampaHappySmiles.com. 

Kohl’s Opens Behind Tampa Premium Outlets 

After reading some of the not-so-nice online comments about the new Kohl’s (and Sephora) store located at 1854 Sun Vista Pl., behind the Tampa Premium Outlets, next to At Home, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting too much. 

Whereas some commenters in local online communities railed that Kohl’s was less of a “department” store than they remembered and more like a Ross or TJ Maxx, what I found was very much more like a Macy’s or Dillard’s but with lower prices. The men’s department is many times larger than any discount retailer, with large selections of brands from Nike and Under Armour to Columbia, Izod, Dockers and many more. 

And, the prices (with Grand Opening specials throughout the store) were more reasonable than I expected, too — especially when you sign up for a Kohl’s membership or credit card (or both). I ended up buying an Apt. 9 sports jacket for myself for less than $100, a nice silk tie to go with the jacket for around $20 and a V-neck T-shirt for less than $10. 

The women’s department was even larger (and the Sephora beauty supply area was bigger than I remember at the JC Penney at the Shops at Wiregrass) and the departments for kids and babies (I bought some Bluey and Spider-Man pajamas for the grandkids) were as large or larger than what I’ve seen at, say, Target. There also was a selection of Halloween-themed merchandise (and clothing) available in several departments. And, again unlike Ross or Marshall’s, everything is well organized and clearly marked. 

Is Kohl’s the department store of my dreams? Maybe not. But, considering how close Jannah and I live to it and the prices I’ve already found, I think we’ll both be visiting regularly. 

For more information, call (813) 501- 2601 or visit Kohls.com. And, please tell them I sent you! — GN

New Tampa Mochinut To Be Replaced By Box Of Cubans!

As much as most of our readers say they want them, it’s just never easy to be successful with unique concept restaurants in our distribution areas — there is always just too much competition from other chain restaurants — so you need all of the little factors to come together to “make it,” including location, quality, demand for the product, management and more. 

That’s why it wasn’t much of a shock to me that the Mochinut “More Than Just A Donut” location on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just north of I-75 (in the small plaza located north of Glory Days Grill) made the announcement shown lower left on Instagram a week or so before we went to press with this issue that the New Tampa location had closed, even though the Mochinut locations in Citrus Park, Temple Terrace and on the north S.R. 56 (near Mellow Mushroom) were staying open. 

Whether or not Mochinut’s light-and-airy Korean-style donuts were a hard sell for folks raised on Krispy Kreme and/or Dunkin’ Donuts, the location of the New Tampa Mochinut (the second eatery to fail there; Mahana Fresh was the first) is extremely difficult to find and get to for a lot of people, even though it is visible from BBD. 

Enter: Box Of Cubans! 

I happened to stop by the already-closed Mochinut location to take the exterior photo to your left when I was able to see two people sitting inside the vacant eatery. They were Marcos and his wife Onelia (“Oni”) Silverio — the owners of the Box of Cubans restaurant in Riverview, who were waiting for contractors to come in to help them get the former Mochinut location ready to become their second fast-casual Cuban eatery. 

“Our Riverview location was named the Best Restaurant to Eat At in Tampa Bay by Yelp for 2023,” Marcos told me. “We’re famous for our authentic Cuban sandwiches and empanadas.” 

Marcos and Oni said that in addition to those popular Cubans and empanadas, Box of Cubans also receives high marks for its outstanding breakfast items — including Cuban-style French toast (also known as Torrejas) and egg, meat (choice of bacon, ham, sausage, turkey or chorizo) and cheese and “Pipo’s Breakfast” (tender, juicy roast pork, aka lechon, sautĂ©ed onions and Swiss cheese inside a pressed fluffy egg omelet) sandwiches and more. 

For lunch, try the restaurant’s signature Mojito Pork Sandwich with lechon, Swiss, sautĂ©ed onions and pickled jalapenos, the Pan Con Bistec (grilled palomilla steak marinated in mojo with Swiss, sauteed onions, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, crispy potato sticks, house cilantro sauce and mayo) sandwich or the ham croquette sandwich. 

The empanadas come with a variety of fillings, from traditional chicken or beef and cheese to bacon, ham or sausage, egg & cheese, Empanada Cuban and even cheeseburger and lasagna options and more. 

The “anatomy” of a Box of Cubans Cuban sandwich. (Source: BoxofCubans.com)

There also are black or red bean & rice Cuban bowls with one of four house proteins (Lechon, Palomilla Steak, Chicken, or Picadillo), served with three pieces of Cuban bread garlic toast made and three sweet plantains. 

Bakery items will range from savory ham croquettes to cream cheese churros, flan, tres leches and even cheesecake and key lime pie. “We’re also famous for our specialty Cuban coffee drinks,” Marcos says, including cafĂ© con leche and cold brew ice coffee. 

He says Box of Cubans also has a cool story to tell. Marcos, who is Cuban and a lifelong Tampa native, and Oni both left other jobs to open the original Box of Cubans together in a BP gas station in Brandon in 2017. They were able to stay open and continue serving their community during Covid because the gas station was considered to be an “essential” business. Their son “MJ” (Marcos, Jr.) joined the team as COO and GM in Jan. 2023 and were looking to open a second location when the Mochinut spot became available. “We hope to be open by the end of October or the first week of November,” Marcos says. “We know the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area will love our food! 

For more info, visit BoxofCubans.com. 

The Law Office Of Elizabeth Devolder For Quality Estate Planning With Heart 

(Above, l.-r.) Attorney Elizabeth Devolder, case manager Camelia Howard and attorney Rachael Alexander make up the team you’ll have on your side if you choose the Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder in Tampa Palms. (Photos by Charmaine George)

When Dwan Klein’s dear friend of 37 years called to say her checks were suddenly bouncing, Dwan immediately knew something was wrong. 

Her friend, now 86, had been widowed for many years, had no family, and had signed documents appointing Dwan and her husband as her caregivers if she were to become incapacitated. 

Dwan had no idea that day was so close. 

Dwan’s husband, an accountant, realized someone was stealing from their friend. They were able to determine it was an online scammer, but Dwan’s friend didn’t believe it. She refused to close her accounts to stop the perpetrator. 

At an absolute loss of what to do, Dwan turned to attorney Elizabeth Devolder of The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center, just off the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit of I-75. 

“It was the best thing we could have done,” Dwan says. “Elizabeth understood immediately what our issues were, and gave us direction on what do to, and how to do it.” 

Elizabeth says her firm is seeing many instances of such financial exploitation. In addition to this example, she has seen elderly people who have left their financial and medical decisions to some unexpected people, including a dog trainer, someone who painted a person’s car and even a taxi driver. 

“Sometimes, people don’t know who to trust,” Elizabeth says. “Sometimes, their families live far away and aren’t able to be on site, but there’s a neighbor or a person from church who offers to help. We often don’t know those people’s bad intentions until much later.” 

Elizabeth and her team have the legal expertise to help people understand and think through their options when it comes to establishing caregiving and financial responsibility, should they become incapacitated. 

“People come into my office to set up a will and they aren’t thinking about the kinds of decisions that might need to be made if they become ill and can’t make them [for themselves] anymore,” she says. “They have this idea in their mind that, in the future, they will either be dead or perfectly fine. They don’t anticipate incapacity.” 

Elizabeth established The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder in 2021, five years after she earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree from the Tampa campus of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Riverview in 2016, following a successful career in advertising and sales management. She had previously earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Corporate Communications from the College of Charleston, SC, in 1997. For five years, Elizabeth worked jointly with her ex-husband Bryan Devolder at their Devolder Law Firm. 

The newer firm’s associate attorney Rachael Alexander was previously a case manager, working closely with Elizabeth and helping her found the firm while going to law school herself. The team also includes case manager Camelia Howard. 

Elizabeth says there are ways to set up your documents to ensure a system of checks and balances, so that no one person has total control and there’s always someone looking out for your best interests, even if it’s not your primary caregiver. 

She emphasizes that this is why setting up an estate plan with an attorney is so important, and that online documents from a website don’t give you personalized, customized advice from an expert who takes your individual circumstances into account. 

There’s another benefit to hiring an attorney, too. The attorney who prepares and signs your documents can testify to your capacity and intentions in court if that becomes necessary. 

Dwan and her husband were grateful for Elizabeth’s immediate action to help their friend. They ended up going to court, where three separate experts evaluated their friend and determined that she was unable to make good decisions for herself. Her paperwork was crystal clear about who she wanted to make decisions on her behalf if that were to happen. 

The court gave Dwan the authority to close the accounts that were being attacked and protect her friend’s assets. By the time they were able to do that, the scammer already had taken $150,000 from their friend. 

“When we met Elizabeth, we knew immediately that she was the right person to help us,” Dwan says. “She knew exactly what we needed to do.” Dwan adds that she is grateful that Elizabeth helped her to ensure her friend’s assets could no longer be stolen. 

“We talk regularly, and we ensure that all of her needs are met,” says Dwan. “It was very difficult, and very hard to see her unable to accept the fact that she was being taken advantage of, but the judge was so kind and actually said, ‘I wish I had a friend like you.’” 

Elizabeth says this is a perfect example of how one situation is very different from another. Not everyone has a friend who would take such good care of them and manage their finances in their best interest. In those cases, when a person has no family present, there are professionals who can manage these decisions for them. 

Sometimes, though, a professional isn’t needed. Remember the dog trainer, taxi driver, and car painter who were given control over someone’s entire estate? One of those actually had no bad intentions at all. 

In fact, Elizabeth says the person who asked her taxi driver to care for her had no family. She had formed a bond with the lady who drove her to all of her appointments. That taxi driver ended up caring for her for the rest of her life, ensuring she had all she needed, and looking out for her best interests. 

“Every family and every person’s situation is different,” she says. “The important thing an attorney can do is help to create a system that avoids the potential for abuse, and can provide testimony about your capacity when you signed the documents.” 

Elizabeth says for her clients, she is willing to take the time to be incredibly detailed, as long as that’s what the client wants. She tells of visiting a client in the hospital who was refusing to eat and the client’s nurses were frustrated. Elizabeth glanced at the papers she had brought with her. 

“I told the nurses his favorite treat was ice cream, and they looked at me like I was a genius,” Elizabeth laughs. “You can have sufficient documents that don’t go into that level of detail, but with it, you can provide direction for how to provide better care for you.” 

Elizabeth also specializes in valuating and managing collections of art or other tangible personal property, such as gun or coin collections, or antiques. 

“It may require calling in a special appraiser who is familiar with that type of collection, because 1980s rock posters are very different than a collection of china,” Elizabeth says. “Our goal is to maximize the value of the collection, which takes some effort, and the person who is best at knowing how to maximize the value is the one who collected it.” 

Elizabeth says she and her team offer their clients experience, knowledge and care that may be hard to find, especially as the market grows and many attorneys offer estate planning. 

“In addition to eight years of experience doing estate planning here in our area, we live and work in Tampa, and we work together to answer our own calls in our own office,” she says. “We’re not working out of a coworking space or having a virtual assistant in another country answering our phones. My clients want to walk in and see the person they spoke to on the phone, and meet my staff, who is then also able to testify about you if necessary. Those details are important to look for when hiring an estate planning attorney.” 

The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder is located at 5383 Primrose Lake Cir., Suite C, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. It is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, call (813) 319-4550 or visit ElizabethDevolder.com.

AdventHealth Radiologist Discusses The Importance Of Mammograms 

Dr. Rachel Burke demonstrates how the AdventHealth Care Pavilion mammography machine works. (Photos by Charmaine George)

As most people know, October is “National Breast Cancer Awareness Month” across the U.S. and here in Tampa, the AdventHealth Care Pavilion at 8702 Hunter’s Lake Dr., in front of the Hunter’s Green community on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., hosted a breast cancer awareness event on Oct. 3 to encourage women to get their mammograms. 

“One in eight women will be touched by breast cancer in their lifetimes,” said Dr. Rachel Burke, the medical director and head breast radiologist at the Kay Meyer Breast Care Center at AdventHealth Tampa. “The median age is around 62 and the highest risk is for those over age 70, but we diagnose it in all ages. Pretty much everyone knows someone who has been affected by it. I always tell people that the biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer are being born female and getting older — and if you’re alive, you’re getting older, so nobody is immune to it.” 

In fact, she said, “This year alone, more than 300,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, the kind that can possibly spread, and another 56,000 with the non-invasive or ‘Stage 0’ breast cancer, and that’s just here in the U.S.” 

Dr. Burke says that not only is a mammogram the only diagnostic test approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), it also is the “gold standard” for detecting breast cancer. 

“And honestly, it’s so easy,” Dr. Burke said. “It only takes a few minutes, isn’t painful and it can definitely save your life. I don’t know why some women have built it up in their heads that it’s this scary thing. It’s really just a couple of seconds of pressure on each side.” 

She added that she started as a diagnostic radiologist specializing in breast radiology, “before I turned 40, so I hadn’t actually had a mammogram myself yet. But, I had heard many scary things about mammograms from patients. And, when I finally had mine, I said, ‘OK, that wasn’t so bad.’ I didn’t know what the whole fuss was about. It was over and done with so fast and wasn’t terrible at all.” 

Dr. Burke also said that since the 1990s, with widespread screening becoming the norm, “Mortality from breast cancer has been reduced by 40% and up to 50% in some studies. Yes, it works. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to have a test that took five minutes of their time that could save their life.” 

Cost Isn’t An Issue 

And, she noted that considering that an annual mammogram is a covered test for women over age 40 on virtually all health insurance plans, “Cost isn’t an issue, either. Even if you don’t have insurance, there are programs — like through our AdventHealth Foundation — that offer free or low-cost mammograms to women, regardless of their insurance status, if they can’t afford to get one. We will find a way to help you” 

In addition, Dr. Burke said, “Most mammography facilities offer special programs and lower fees during October. I know we have a special for a $99 mammogram this month.” 

The Care Pavilion staff “celebrates” Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Dr. Burke also noted that although African American women have a lower incidence of breast cancer when compared with Caucasians and other races, “They have a higher mortality rate from it. We don’t know exactly why — but Black women have a higher incidence of dense breast tissue and there are some other factors, including socioeconomic, but it absolutely is something to be aware of. We don’t want any women to die from breast cancer, but we also don’t want this type of disparity either.” 

Speaking of breast density, however, Dr. Burke said that it is harder to read the mammograms of women who have more dense, glandular tissue than fatty tissue, which puts any woman with dense breasts at higher risk for breast cancer. 

“Mammograms are still our best diagnostic tool,” she said, “but the test isn’t perfect. Just as it’s harder to see when you’re driving in dense fog, it’s harder to read the mammograms through dense breast tissue. Some women will need a supplemental test — like an MRI or ultrasound — if they have dense breasts and there’s a concern.” 

Dr. Burke also talked about BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations, which significantly increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Statistics show that 55%-65% of women found with a BRCA1 mutation and 45% of women with a BRCA2 mutation will develop breast cancer by age 70. 

“More and more celebrities are coming out and discussing that they have gotten prophylactic bilateral mastectomies and reconstruction after being found with either mutation,” she said. “You know, the Angelina Jolie effect. So now, there are a lot of women with these mutations who aren’t celebrities who were inspired by that and also are having mastectomies to prevent breast cancer and that’s great. A surgery without cancer is easier to recover from than a surgery with cancer.” 

And now, she added, “We have found a lot of different genes that are proving to be risk factors not just for breast but for a lot of different cancers.” 

Dr. Burke also said that although there are some risk factors that women can’t change, like aging and genetics, “The risk factors we can change are alcohol consumption, diet and exercise and smoking. I never tell women they have to give up alcohol altogether,” she said. “I still like to have a glass of wine, too, and I have friends who are oncologists who still have a drink here and there. All we say is to limit your alcohol consumption because it definitely is related to breast cancer.” 

She also noted that it’s important to tell women who are diagnosed that, “It’s not your fault. I tell them, ‘You did not cause this. This is one rogue cell that decided to proliferate. There wasn’t one particular thing you did to cause it.’” 

The stage of the cancer itself also is important. “The chance for long-term survival goes down with each stage,” Dr. Burke said. “However, even though we can’t ‘cure’ Stage 4, we do have many patients who live for a number of years with Stage 4 disease.” 

Dr. Burke then demonstrated how a mammogram works in the Care Pavilion’s Mammography Suite. And, after the interview,Charmaine and I enjoyed pink cupcakes, donuts and lemonade with the Care Pavilion staff, who also painted provided stones pink with the name of someone they lost to the disease for the Care Pavilion’s garden. They also took home pink light bulbs. 

For more info about AHCP, call (813) 548-8550, visit AHCarePavilionNewTampa.com.Â