Meet the Models, SoCal: Raisa Hackman

Raisa Hackman received genetic testing after her niece, fellow SoCal model Nicole Fischer, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Along with her sister, Raina came back positive for the BRCA gene. It came as a shock, but she was diligent about her self exams and mammograms, which continuously came back clean. 

That is, until they didn’t. During a self check one day, Raisa found a lump smaller than a pea, but when the lump didn’t go away after a few months, she called her doctor. Follow up testing confirmed a breast cancer diagnosis: “It was absolutely terrifying.” She immediately went in for surgery, where her only worry was if the margins were good. Thankfully, they were and she did not need chemotherapy. She endured radiation, which further prolonged her reconstruction. It meant living with an uneven appearance and no nipple. For Raisa, that was the hardest part: “I couldn’t look at it for the longest time and I wouldn’t even show my husband. I felt like a pre-teen.” 

The required time between treatment and procedures tested Raisa’s mental strength even more. She notes, “a lot of mental and emotional adjustment is needed when timelines need extending.” Thankfully, she had an incredible tribe behind her, including her husband, sister, and niece Nicole, who uniquely understood what Raisa was going through. 

Two years out now, Raisa acknowledges that time can begin to heal some of the mental, physical and emotional wounds she has, but it remains hard to not get emotional over the past few years. To those newly diagnosed she says, “get second opinions, ask about reconstruction and what might work best for you, talk to people who have been through this, give yourself time to be afraid and most of all, use all of your resources.”