#1 question I get asked
is: "What is Oprah like in Person?"-My
answer is, she is exactly what you see on TV, except better. She is
truly a very genuine and caring woman. I could tell that she did
not quite understand my situation, but she made an effort to try.
She was generous with her time, and she is extremely authentic. My
second visit on the show was very nice as well, and I felt like she
was glad to see me, and remembered me from the first show. We took
pictures together both times, which I will always cherish. Most
celebrities are one way on TV and another way when the camera are
off. I have seen this many times. Oprah is who she is whether the
camera is on or off. I was overwhelmed by that entire experience of
being on her show. Trying to wrap my brain around the enormous
position she has in the world, in her company and in her life was
very difficult for me to do. Everybody wants a piece of her in
some way. I felt bad that she would have a difficult time living a
"normal" life. Regardless, she accepts her position in this world
with grace and compassion, and makes the best of it. Larry King was
also especially gracious. he was very sweet to me, and when he saw
me, he said "Hello Dolly"...At the time I was VERY thin and my boobs
looked really big. I had a great time on his show. I was nervous as
hell because it was truly LIVE. No retakes. I have travelled to
several countries, on vacation where people have saw me on both
Oprah and Larry King, and told me about it. Once I was having dinner
at The Ivy on Robertson in LA and my waiter said "I saw you on Larry
King not too long ago"....he said he was on vacation...I asked
where...he said "Japan". The reality of how HUGE both of these shows
are hit me at that moment. I realized that part of my story had
been heard by millions of people in over 110 countries. It is a lot
to take in. I am humbled.
#2 Who is your plastic surgeon
and can I have his number?-Unfortunately
I don't share that information. I DO have the most wonderful PS
ever, and I would love to tell everybody about him, however, he does
not need me to give him publicity or business. I refer my personal
friends to him, who I have know for years, but that is as far as it
goes. He has more work to do than he has time. Also not everyone
has good intensions on wanting this information. I want and need my
doctor to focus on what he does best, which is surgery, he doesn't
need to field phone calls all day to people who would possibly
criticize him operating on me. He has had the opportunity to even
come on Oprah if he wanted, and countless opportunities for
publicity. He chooses to stay out of it, and I respect his
wishes...so please don't ask, because I don't tell.
#3 What does your family think about
your surgeries? I don't ask their
opinions on what I should or should not do, nor do I want to hear
their opinions. To keep the peace all the way around, it is not a
topic of discussion....at least not one I will have. I don't ask
for or need permission or acceptance from my family or friends where
surgery is concerned. My situation with plastic surgery is one that
is very difficult for my family and many others to understand.
There is a saying that goes " I can explain it to you, but I cannot
understand it for you." That is the way I feel about the
situation. I can talk until I am blue in the face about plastic
surgery, and either you understand it and me, or you don't.
#4 Are you on a quest for
perfection? The answer is no, because
it does not exist. At one point I thought it did, but I have come
to realize that it doesn't. I am continually trying to make peace
with a lot of things, and one of those is my reflection. In the
process of writing this book I am working on I have come to realize
that my pursuit of perfection has gone far beyond my appearance.
I have always wanted to be the perfect Daughter, Girlfriend, Wife,
Mother, Friend, etc...I didn't realize how much I extended my drive
and need for excellence all throughout my life until I starting
writing about it, and then it all made sense.
#5 Do you think you will ever
stop having plastic surgery? Hard
question to answer. I would like to say yes, but the realistic
answer is no, probably not ever. Technology will change over time
and doctors will find less invasive ways to do what they do now with
better results. I still have a few things I want to fix, and plan
on doing that. Right now I am just trying to pace myself and not
over do it....Some people say I already have, but I can say I have
seen many more people who have overdone it than me. I have
been told by many Plastic Surgeons, who I consider mentors that I am
at a good stopping place, especially in the area of my face and that
I can treat wrinkles and such with Botox and Fillers, which are
non-invasive techniques to reduce the signs of aging.
#6 What will you tell your
daughters if they ever want plastic surgery?
I would first of all tell them how beautiful they are and how they
do not need it, and then I would educate them on plastic surgery,
the struggles I have had and hope that they take my
advice...especially in areas of the face. Once they are adults they
can do what they want to do, but they will be educated about it. I
practice the "Do as I say not as I do" approach.
#7 What do you do for a living,
or to pay for plastic surgery?-Well
first and foremost I am a wife and mother. I would like to go to
school to be a nurse, with every intention on specializing in
working in the Plastic Surgery operating room. I do television shows
and documentaries that have been featured in the us and all over the
world. When it comes to paying for surgery, I save my money (I
call it rubbing to pennies together), and
cut my own luxury cost down, or out completely. It is amazing what
determination will do for you. Think of how many things people spend
money on needlessly...most of us do it everyday. Some people
have "habits" like Starbucks every morning. When I decide to
have surgery I cut out any expense for ME that is not necessary, but
I spare nothing for my kids. They still get anything they need
and then some.
#8 What plastic surgery
procedure are you planning on doing next?
Hopefully within the first quarter on 2010 I
will get a breast lift on both breasts, and an extended tummy tuck
or another body lift to remove my terrible burn scar, revise my
c-section scar, and return my body back to the way it was before I
had my youngest Daughter in November 2007. * I had this surgery
performed February 25th, 2010, and I am recovering nicely!
#9 Why don't you do
something more productive with your money like give it to charity or
volunteer you time to those in need?
This is actually one of
my favorite questions. Do you know why? Because people think that
if you give your money away to charities or volunteer your time to a
needy cause that gives you the right to brag about it. I, however
feel differently about that. The reality is I DO give money to
charities, I DO volunteer my time to needy causes, and I give back
as much as I can because I BELIEVE you GET what you GIVE...I just
don't talk about it. I was raised that it is our job to do acts of
kindness and goodwill, but we are not to boast about them, and beat
our chests and tell people "Look what I did!". That is simply not my
style. Whenever possible I make anonymous donations. Where it came
from is not important. Who it came from is not important. The fact
that it was provided is all that counts. I am by nature a giver,
sometimes to a fault.
#10 What is your motive
or message for doing interviews, documentaries, and gaining
publicity?
I have answered this question more times
than I can count, and it has never made it on the air damn it! My
motive is to share my story, help educate people on plastic surgery,
encourage them STRONGLY to do their homework on finding the right
doctor that is not only qualified, but one that cares and does not
have a God complex. Find a doctor that understands your wants and
needs, and can deliver them to the best of his/her ability. Choose a
doctor because you like what his work looks like based on his before
and after pictures, and also what other people have to say about
him. And equally important DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK ON THE PROCEDURE YOU
ARE CONSIDERING HAVING DONE. Google or search Yahoo! the procedures
and read anything and everything about it. You should know so much
about what is being done that you could tell the doctor how the
surgery is performed. You should know what to do before surgery and
even more importantly what to expect after surgery.....this is the
most common and deadliest mistake people make, and this is your
responsibility. Read all the paperwork during your pre-op
appointment, and make sure you know what warning signs to look out
for after surgery. If you feel something is wrong and you call
him/her and they tell you everything is fine, but you know or feel
like everything is not fine...GO TO THE ER immediately! I don't work
as hard as I do, participate on television shows, film documentaries
and do interviews and articles for publicity, I do it so that maybe
someone who is contemplating having plastic surgery will take this
advice and educate themselves, and hopefully the outcome will meet
their satisfaction and no complication arises. In the event a
complication does arise, I hope that they know what to do about it.
I also talk about how easy it is to hop on the runaway train, and to
be careful. I have pushed the limits more than a few times. At one
point in my life plastic surgery consumed me. The psychological
affects are profound. Depression is common after surgery, which in
some cases leads to more surgery. Women (and men) suffer from
terrible body image issues, when really they are self image issues.
If you take care of the mind you can take care of the body. It took
a lot of work for me to understand the difference between self image
and body image-which I have been told are one in the same however
for me it is hard to put them in the same category. I have to keep that in check. Everybody should keep
that in check.
Case in point on educating yourself-True
Story:
I flew to Florida to meet a woman who had liposuction on her abs.
She chose a doctor who was "well known" and if I am not mistaken may
have been board certified. He had many commercials on TV about his
practice. (Note to self-this can sometimes be a red flag to me....if
you are good at what you do, commercials are unnecessary. you get
your business from word of mouth-This is not always the case in
certain markets as some doctors have to advertise in commercials
because the demand for plastic surgery is not as great.) To her,
this MUST have meant he was the best in the business. She went to
see him and scheduled her liposuction. She walked in his OR and
never left the same. She is now wheelchair bound, and BOTH of her
legs are cut off at the knee. What did she do wrong? No homework.
No references. Didn't follow her instincts. During her surgery this
plastic surgeon punctured her bowels. Do you know what it takes to
puncture bowels? You have to go through the entire abdomen wall,
which is very tough! When a doctor is performing liposuction he
knows that he is sucking fat and is in the right place because of
the way the wand feels in his hand. If he slips and goes too far,
he knows it right away. This doctor punctured her bowels and chose
not to check it out and fix it. He sewed her up and sent her home.
24 hours later she was back in his office deathly ill with a fever.
FEVER=INFECTION...DEATHLY ILL=SOMETHING VERY WRONG! He
tells her she is fine and to go home. She went home, got worse,
FINALLY went to the ER after a few days past, and her intestines
have now completely intoxicated her body. She got gang green,
and bit by bit her toes were amputated, her feet, ankles, until it
ended at her knees. She now has no legs. Is the doctor at fault for
this? Absolutely. Is she at fault for this? YES. She did not do her
homework. This is the sweetest lady who just wanted a little
fat taken off her tummy, and did not deserve this. We filmed
this interview with her, and to date it has never aired...not sure
why, maybe because her story did not "shock" sense into me. I
already knew the horror story like hers, and all I could say was I
am sorry that this has happened to you and I wish I could have
helped in some way to help you prevent this from happening, but you
sharing your story and me sharing mine is what we can do now to move
forward. I was asked if seeing her
changed my mind about plastic surgery. My answer was "No, all it
did was validate what I have been saying all along." If you know
your surgeon, know your procedures backward and forward, know what
to expect each step of the way during recovery, something like this
could have been avoided. She should have gone to the ER the moment
she felt the fever and had the doctor paged from the ER...This could
have been prevented. She would have had to have emergency surgery on
her bowels, but she would still have her legs. All I can say is
that she is lucky to be alive.
