leeanna.maharaj@guardian.co.tt
The decision to undergo a mastectomy is never an easy one. It marks the beginning of a new journey—one filled with emotional and physical adjustments. But one woman is determined to reshape that road to recovery and help other survivors feel whole again.
Carlene Bruno, 62, of Barataria, is a 14-year breast cancer survivor on a mission to change how the world views breast cancer patients.
Her story began in 2009, when she discovered a lump in her breast. Doctors initially assured her it was fibrocystic tissue and nothing to worry about. But two years later, after falling ill, another examination revealed what she had feared.
“When the doctor examined my breast, he said he’d never felt anything like it in 40 years of practice,” she recalled. “He immediately sent me for another mammogram and ultrasound.”
Bruno later sought a second opinion in the United States.
“I was in the US doing a radioactive biopsy when they told me I had breast cancer,” she said. “I told the doctor I had some stupid questions, because I didn’t expect this—no one in my family had ever had cancer before.”
Bruno began treatment in the US. Despite rounds of chemotherapy and a lumpectomy that reduced the lump significantly, tests showed positive margins remained in the tissue. Rather than face repeated surgeries, she chose a more decisive path.
“I thought, what if they don’t get it all? I’d have to go back again—and nobody wants to do surgery over and over,” she said. “So I prayed, fasted, talked to God, and the verse that came to me was from Ecclesiastes: ‘Vanity of vanities.’ I realised it was just flesh—it didn’t define me. So I opted for the mastectomy, and I’ve never regretted it.”
Though confident in her choice, Bruno admitted the journey was far from easy. The unwavering support of her family—especially her late husband, Pernell Bruno—helped her heal.
“After the mastectomy, I didn’t feel any type of way,” she said. “My husband and I met in school, and he understood completely. He would say, ‘That’s my wife—and she made the right decision.’”
She recalled one moment that still makes her laugh.
“In the early days, I hadn’t healed properly and was using fibrefill. I bent down and when I got up, it shifted. My husband said, ‘You’re probably the only woman in Trinidad whose breast moves left, right, up, and down!’” she laughed. “Even now, I think about it and smile.”
Her husband’s humour and acceptance carried her through—especially now, as she counsels women who fear losing their femininity or their partners’ love after surgery.
“So many women tell me their husbands won’t accept them if they remove their breasts,” she said. “But I had support from day one, and I thank God for that.”
In 2017, Bruno faced heartbreak again when her husband was diagnosed with liver cancer and passed away. Yet, even through grief, she found renewed purpose.
“I remember travelling on a train, talking to God,” she said. “I never asked, ‘Why me?’ I just asked what He wanted me to do. And I heard clearly: ‘The information you gather here in the US, bring it home and share it with the women.’”
That calling led her to establish the Carlene Bruno Formations Centre, where she provides post-mastectomy fittings and support. In 2013, she became certified in mastectomy bra fitting.
“I did a bra-fitting course so I could help women properly,” she explained. “I fit breast forms to match their natural side as closely as possible—not too big, because that can cause neck and back pain.”
Bruno travels across T&T—from Point Fortin to Sangre Grande—helping women regain their confidence.
“It doesn’t even feel like work,” she said. “Some women are shy or emotional at first. I always talk to them before fitting, just to help them feel comfortable.”
Those moments of transformation keep her motivated.
“I had one customer who started dancing and saying, ‘Look, I have breasts again!’ Another started to cry because she never thought she could feel this way again,” Bruno said. “I see joy return to their faces—that’s my reward.”
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, Bruno’s message is simple but urgent.
“Cancer doesn’t wait for October,” she said. “Don’t wait for Breast Cancer Awareness Month to do your mammogram or ultrasound. You have January to December. Early detection saves lives.”
