Dr. Verbist Brings Hope and Healing to the Purchase Region

by Stephanie Watson

Dr. Daniel Verbist

Helps Women Find Hope And Healing In Their Hometown

EVERY OCTOBER, THE WORLD PULLS OUT ITS PINK RIBBONS, GATHERS TO participate in fundraising events, and collectively remembers the impact that breast cancer has on women. Few can say they haven’t been impacted by the disease in some way, whether through their own experiences or that of others. In fact, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Of the roughly 100,000 women in the Kentucky Purchase, 13,000 have had, currently have, or will have breast cancer. While eliminating cancer is, of course, at the forefront of any treatment, an often underdiscussed aspect of care is breast reconstruction. While some may think of reconstruction as an afterthought—something nice but not necessary—for plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Daniel Verbist, breast reconstruction is often a life-altering part of putting things back together. Dr. Verbist, a native of Clarksville, TN is married to a native Paducahan and recently brought his family back to the region to open a full-spectrum plastic and reconstructive surgery clinic located at Baptist Health. While Dr. Verbist practices all aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery—he’s served neonatal patients as young as one day all the way to those in their 90s—cancer reconstruction is a portion of his practice that is near and dear to his heart. “Breast cancer is a journey that no one chooses to take but many are forced to embark on,” he notes. “Reconstructive

“Breast cancer is a journey that no one chooses to take but many are forced to embark on. Reconstructive surgery has been shown to improve psychological, social, and physical wellbeing...” - Dr. Daniel Verbist

surgery has been shown to improve psychological, social, and physical wellbeing, and every woman who faces the diagnosis of breast cancer should, at the very least, have the opportunity to learn about reconstruction and explore the options.” According to Dr. Verbist, there are many reasons why women do not undergo breast reconstruction. For some, forgoing reconstruction is simple a respected personal choice. For many others, forgoing reconstruction is not a choice at all but rather the result of unfortunate barriers. Misunderstandings about the process—from cost and coverage to misperceptions about age—and the distance it takes to access a board-certified plastic surgeon are common obstacles many women face when having to make that choice. “Part of my job is trying to inform the patient of what options exist while dispelling myths,” he explains. “The opportunity to reduce these distances and decrease these disparities is one of the reasons it is such an honor to bring breast reconstruction services to the Purchase.” Locating his practice on the Baptist campus was another intentional choice that further aids in decreasing barriers to access. Many doctors play a role in the treatment of breast cancer. According to Dr. Verbist, studies reveal that patients who must travel over 20 miles to receive reconstruction are 30% less likely to pursue the option than those who have access to it in the city where they receive care. Having the plastic surgeon on campus adds one more layer to the community of care and one less barrier for women. He hopes that along with greater access, women will also feel a sense of normalization for the reconstruction process. “For some reason, with breast cancer people wonder if it makes them vain to pursue it,” he explains. “If you had an invasive skin cancer on your ear, you wouldn’t think twice about having your ear reconstructed. There is no age at which a person is too old to feel like they are putting things back together, and that light at the end of the tunnel can provide hope for many women.”

More than a nip and a tuck?

For many people, the term plastic surgery conjures images from the media and popular television series with a hotshot doctor driving a Ferrari and making millions doing facelifts. For most plastic surgeons, the reality of their work is vastly different from these images. Dr. Verbist has spent years honing the craft of helping put people back together, restoring form and function while also helping people feel themselves again. “This is one of the most diverse surgical fields,” he notes. “It’s a field that’s geared toward problem solving, and it takes a lot of imagination and creativity because each unique patient is their own puzzle. My job is to help solve that puzzle with them.” After attending medical school at the University of Louisville, Dr. Verbist completed residency at the University of Missouri Hospital, a level one trauma center that presented ample opportunity for him to hone his reconstructive surgery skills. After residency, he stayed on as a staff physician, training others in the art of plastic surgery while also serving as the primary call doctor for hand trauma reconstruction. While moving to the Paducah area and opening his private practice in the heart of one of its main medical facilities meant giving up some of that intensity, he hasn’t let go of his trauma surgery roots completely. “I enjoy trauma reconstruction because it requires one to really think outside the box to put these things back together,” he notes. “In partnering with Baptist, I’m also working with their emergency room several days a month to help with injury-related or illness-related reconstructive needs.” And what if you do desire a nip or a tuck? He can do that too, but for Dr. Verbist, even this process is about helping people to realistically explore their goals and find a healthy path for changes. “Cosmetic and elective plastic surgery can be life changing for many people,” he notes. “Anyone I meet I’m going to try to treat with compassion and respect and be as truthful with them as I can or at least point them in the right direction. It’s about exploring their goals and desires and deciding if the goal is a healthy or harmful one. Surgeries like breast reduction, for example, can be completely life changing for a person’s health and overall well-being.”