Woman fighting cancer throws goodbye party for breasts before double mastectomy
Andy Sealy underwent a double mastectomy Wednesday.
— -- One Philadelphia woman fighting breast cancer decided to throw a goodbye party for her breasts days before she would undergo a double mastectomy.
Andy Sealy, a 37-year-old sales representative, threw a party she dubbed Ta Ta to My Ta Tas last Sunday at Bop on Broad Street in Philadelphia. She invited more than 200 friends and family members to celebrate with her before she received treatment.
"I really wanted to go away before my surgery, but it wasn't in the cards," Sealy told ABC News. "So I said, 'Well, I want to have a farewell party.'"
Sealy was diagnosed with breast cancer after feeling two lumps in her left breast back in January. After undergoing testing, doctors confirmed that she indeed has breast cancer and scheduled her for a double mastectomy, which was Wednesday.
Sealy said farewell in style, encouraging her friends to wear swim suit tops under their clothes. Her friends even brought pink balloons, a custom cake in the shape of — ahem — you know what, and she even had a deejay. Her father also created a customized sign for the occasion and she got a special Snapchat filter to fete the occasion.
By the end of the party, Sealy was dancing on the bar.
"All of my worlds collided. Everyone was invited from different parts of my life," she recalled. "It was kind of like a wedding cerebration or something ... It was just the perfect storm. It was awesome."
Sealy said doctors told her it's too early to create a treatment plan as she's awaiting some test results. Still, she's "open to whatever happens. It's the path I have to take," she said.
"I'm not a moper or a crier," she added. "I'll be fine."
Sealy said she hopes her story will encourage to self-examine their breasts more frequently.
"Just feel them," she said. "That's really the most important thing. If I could help someone, that's all that matters."