Many women diagnosed with breast cancer have many decisions to make about chemotherapy, radiation and often mastectomy.

And when a woman undergoes a mastectomy they have to reach another decision on whether or not to have their breasts reconstructed. It's a decision one doctor has made sure all women can make financially, without the burden of insurance companies.

Dr. Christine Horner began her campaign for women in the 1990s after insurance companies decided breast reconstruction after mastectomy was no longer reconstructive, but cosmetic.

“I got a letter from an insurance company for my 33-year-old patient saying 'We're not going to pay for breast reconstruction on your patient because it's on an organ with no function,'" Horner said.

It was that letter that pushed her to organize a national campaign to make it mandatory insurance companies paid for the surgery.

“We got 35 state laws passed and then I discovered a loop hole which basically says that people aren't covered by state health care laws,” Horner said.

So the renowned surgeon took it a step further working with President Bill Clinton.

“We worked for two years with a bill before Congress and got it passed in 1998. So now it's absolutely mandatory from a national federal law that all insurance companies must pay for breast reconstruction following mastectomies,” Horner said.

It was a victory, but she had one more battle to win.

“When I was working on this campaign, my own mother developed breast cancer and died from it and that's where my focus was.  Yes, we need breast reconstruction available but what's more important is what do we do about ending the breast cancer epidemic,” Horner said.

Horner has now made it her mission to teach women about preventing breast cancer, staying healthy naturally.

“Most breast cancers are not genetic, that they actually come from factors within our control,” Horner said.

Controlling what we eat, how much we sleep and our activities, Horner found plays a huge role in developing the disease.

You can hear Dr. Horner speak Saturday October 10.
When: 1-3 p.m.
Where: Sioux Falls Convention Center, Meeting rooms 11-14