"This letter has been in production for several weeks now. I wanted to take a moment and sincerely tell you how your gift has changed my life. I am sure in the "circle" of surgeons many of you have views an nicknames for one another - if I were a surgeon I am sure I would view some of my peers as the following: Dr. Hatchet, Dr. Prima Donna, Dr. Artist, Dr. Cut Happy, Dr. Mathematician - to name a few. In my lay person opinion, you are a healer.

I was an athletic child, always outdoors and on the move. In my teen years I was in softball, cheer and swim, I never had a weight problem , nor did I have anything near a sedentary life. The onset of puberty brought with it, breasts and I felted betrayed because this did pose some adjustment, but I coped. Into adulthood I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovaries and subsequently underwent many infertility treatments to try and conceive (even Pergonal - if you can imagine). I have been told, and have my own antidotal evidence to prove that these things "assisted" in my becoming morbidly obese. The PCO and the morbid obesity; two other times in my life I felt betrayed by my body.

When we met, I had lost over 100 pounds and felt defeated. While I am in the gym three times a week and had begun a lifetime habit of walking 5 miles daily all I saw was the after effects of losing so much weight, my excess skin. For a person who has spent any time in an overly large body their self perception becomes warped, even as - especially as they shrink. I was convinced I would never be happy with my body and would spend the rest of my life, while training as an athlete, secretly loathing myself for this. The scale showed decreasing numbers, my body fat was settling at 26%, which was a miracle considering the previous year but dressing and doing anything that brought attention to my physical appearance was devastating - betraying.

I vowed that if I were going to undergo a cosmetic procedure then I was going to change my view and goal of my body and its value. As I began to look inward I realized it was not just the size or shape or my body, it was the fact that I could not conceive, could not stabilize my weight or my PCO without intervention, and so on. Then I asked myself the night before our surgery, what is it I can do/be/have with this body that will no make me feel at such offs with it, not so betrayed? I had the answer in my training for the 3-Day Breast Cancer walk and I decided that night that I would push my body to be healthy and to performa athletically as I know it can.

The first time I saw my post surgery body, the one you gifted me with, I wept.

For weeks after I could not speak about you without tearing up. As I began making peace with my body, I started to feel a certain thrill that my hard work actually shows! When I went into surgery with you, I weighted 173 with a body fat of 26% - my pants were a size 14, to accommodate my excess skin. As I write this, I weigh 158, body fat of 21%, wearing a size 6 and still shrinking! I am motivated by the fact that I can actually see the results of my hard work now. While all of these stats are impressive - the biggest news is: I no longer feel betrayed by my body and I have you to thank for this. As my walk comes closer, I look forward to the physical challenge and I have even started looking for triathlons in the area to compete in by next summer! None of this would be possible without the confidence and new respect I have for my body and THAT would not have happened if our paths had never crossed.

Now certainly one could argue any surgeon would have made this difference. But I chose you. I chose you because of the atmosphere your office has, in our first meeting you explained things thoroughly, your assistant, Linae is warm and encouraging; never one did I feel like I was in a pretentious Orange County plastic surgeons office. The day of surgery you were so at ease (let me eat my lunch first) that I was instantly at ease knowing that your work (as for many of us is so second nature to you that you had the instant confidence one needs to undertake such a task. I am grateful for that. I am grateful that you were able to share your gift and skills with me.

It is uncertain to me if we will tackle the other "problem" areas of my body that we discussed in our first consultation - I am so thrilled now. This brings a certain degree of sadness with it - how does one have such a temporary relationship that impacts them so deeply? The best I can do is hope this letter imparts to you how very grateful I am, how indebted I feel to you and how I could never forget what you have don to my body that has helped me change my life...Perhaps I will send you Holiday cards to remind you of how deeply you have touched my (our) life? At the very least the vacation one with me in a bikini? HAH! In whatever capacity, I hope our paths converge again and if they do not, please understand that I see you as a doctor, surgeon, artist, and mathematician but mostly as a healer.

All my best gratitude and respect,
C.G."

D.P.

"Dr. T,

I just want you to know how much I appreciate your time and patience you have given me, as well as thanking you for the awesome gift God has given you as a doctor. I am very happy and satisfied to have found a good doctor that I can trust and who does such great work. Thanks for everything! God bless! Oh, and you have a great assistant too!

You too Lisa, you're awesome and thanks a bunch!

Your Patient,

D.P.

"

"Dr. Taleisnik,

It has been almost three years since my breast augmentation and I want you to know that I am so happy with my results! I truly love them and get so many compliments on them. My friends love what you did for them too! In fact, I have another girlfriend that wants to have hers done and is going to make an appointment with you. I'd love to come see you and show you how mine have turned out! I might be interested in some other procedures in the future as well, but nothing anytime soon. Regardless, I would love to come see you. Please let me know when I can come in :)

Dr. Taleisnik, the first thing I tell all of the people inquiring about you is that you make everyone feel very comfortable and actually care enough to take time to meet with us personally. Most doctors are not like this and you are an absolute exception - that is the wonderful thing about you (in addition to your great work) and I hope it never changes - truly. There are girls I work with and co-workers wives that all seem to want something done - I'm always being asked if I know a good doctor and people are always in awe when I tell them I had the procedure done! I would never refer anyone to anyone but you - so please continue to do what you do best and make everyone look pretty and feel important.

S."

S.B.

"To Dr. Taleisnik and Staff,

I have been small chested for 36 years. I always wanted larger breasts, but was afraid to do it. I was also scared of losing my running stride and ability. I'm an avid marathoner and well, extra weight means more to carry for 26.2 miles. I like to live life with "no regrets" and I realized that I would regret not having breast augmentation. A friend recommended her physician so I paid for a consult with him. I won't give you his name, but I felt like I was a faceless, nameless person who just needed to open her wallet to make him happy. I'm a people person and I didn't feel good at all. Another friend recommended Dr. Andres Taleisnik. She said he didn't charge for a consult so I thought okay.

The moment I met Dr. Taleisnik, Dr. T, I knew I'd found my doctor. He has a great smile, kind eyes, and he really cares about his patients. He is very personable. He is also a family man, which I like. I expressed my concerns about running, yet wanted to look more feminine. He took that to heart and made my goals his goals. Now, 2 1/2 months post-op, I feel great. I just completed the L.A. Marathon and the twins (my new breasts) were great. I love them, I feel great about my decision to have breast augmentation and I know I had the best care possible.

Dr. Taleisnik's staff is awesome. The entire office and staff are warm and inviting. Lisa, Dr T's assistant, is the best. Any question or concern I had she either had an answer or got back to me immediately with an answer. She is like a friend and really listens and cares. I love calling the office because I know the staff doesn't have to look at my chart to remember who I am. They really go out of their way to know each person as an individual.

Thank you Dr. Taleisnik for all that you did for me and my self esteem.

S.B."