Donda West -- Big Trouble on the Table?

106. I am a patient of Dr. Adams. And I have had a very pleasant experience with him. He is kind, gentle and listened to what I wanted. Would I use him again? YES!

I am thrilled with my breast augmentation. Thank you Dr. Adams! My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Posted at 1:33PM on Nov 13th 2007 by Cindy

107. I'm sorry, but if several doctors told me I wasn't well enough to undergo the surgery I wouldn't keep trying until I found one that would. That's probably why they told her no, because they didn't want things to end up like they did. Sometimes looking better is worth dying for.

Posted at 1:34PM on Nov 13th 2007 by PoshMayor

108. Ladies keep the wrinkles and flabby belly. So what if the men don't want you anymore, you can always come over to TMZ and gossip with the rest of us.

Posted at 1:58PM on Nov 13th 2007 by toomanydoggies

109. God Bless and keep you , Kanye through this difficult time. I was stunned when my son called and told me. I do not have my mother any more either. This is something that can make or break you, God Jesus God Jesus etc. The negative one wants youy. If He can not get to you , it will get to someone close. I pray that you are able to come up out of this. Go through what you have to go through. Like it or not you are being perpared for the fight of your life. God needs striong soldiers. Though nothing will be the same, It gets more bearable with time. Long live what is right and down with this rotten system.

Posted at 2:38PM on May 23rd 2008 by Denise Phi;lly-H-burg Connect

110. #30 (Bliss)
I don't think Jesus would agree with you.

You sound like a typical Catholic: "I can do whatever I want as long as I ask for forgiveness later." Like you didn't know vanity was a so-called "sin" before you had your surgeries?

How dare you judge another woman based on your own religious beliefs, calling her a glutton? You don't know why she was overweight--weight gain is sometimes due to certain medical conditions.

I have no hope for the world as long as ignorant persons such as yourself continue to hold on to their judgemental views.

Posted at 2:15PM on Nov 13th 2007 by MelB

111. I wonder why people automatically assume Dr. West was being vain or trying to fit in or smthg. Have you guys ever thought that the surgery, at least the breast reduction (if that is in fact what she had), might not have been entirely elective? Women with large breast typically have back and shoulder problems. Those problems are not always so minor that they could be easily alleviated by tylenol, advil, etc. I have known women whose PCP (primary care physician) strongly recommend breast reduction to fix problems that result from their breast being too large and heavy. You know those deep indentures that are almost cuts in some large-breasted women's shoulder? They are the result of the bra straps cutting into her skin b/c her breast are too large and heavy. Before we all pass judgment on a situation we really don't know anything about, maybe we should wait until the investigation reports are released and provide us with the full and complete story.

As for those ppl who think this was the Dr.'s mistake b/c he is black...come on!! Please don't show the ignorance that still exists in some ppl in America. A Dr. is a Dr. When an ER Dr. comes in to save your life one day, I'm sure you're not going to tell him you don't want his help b/c he's black, indian, asian, etc. In the end, the Dr.'s actions come down to whether he was negligent judged by the standard of care in the medical community; not whether the American public sees his actions as negligent.

Posted at 2:17PM on Nov 13th 2007 by Smthg to think ab

112. Take a moment an say a prayer for this young man and his mother the mistake has been made . They need our prayers Now.

Posted at 2:18PM on Nov 13th 2007 by darryl

113. Unfortunately or Fortunately which ever way you want to look at it, Plastic surgery is a person's option. I worked for a Health Care Institution in the Credentialing Department and Plastic Surgery is performed everyday by experienced Board Certified Surgeons, with good results, this is so unfortunate and such a tragedy. I feel sorry for her family as well as other families that may have went though something like this, but we never hear about it.

All I can say is if it is true that she was told not to do this or to get clearance and she never did; unfortunely she made the ultimate wrong decision. It is not required for all surgeons to have a board certificate, that's something the patient should look for and require that the surgeon have it. But I must say that if this Doctor lyed about having it, and the hospital that supposed to have credentialed him did not check for it, that hospital should be totally liable and should compensate her family to the upmost.

Posted at 4:28PM on Nov 13th 2007 by jsol

114.
Hey- 5.g--maybe you could proofred (as in proof-r-e-a-d) your [own] statements before posting?

as they say, before you pluck the splinter out of another person's eye, you may want to pull the LOG out of your own...

Posted at 4:33PM on Nov 13th 2007 by rightbackatyou

115. While complications can occur after ANY surgery -- a skin tag removal can become infected or bleed -- this doctor's judgment in West's case appears to have been very poor. Furthermore, I for one am tired of non-board-certified "celebrity" plastic surgeons getting ridiculous amounts of TV exposure on these reality shows, which becomes lucrative for their practices, while thousands of careful, qualified and ethical surgeons remain relatively unknown. Just because someone claims to be a "top" surgeon doesn't mean (s)he is even qualified to perform certain procedures. Anyone can claim to be a "cosmetic" surgeon, even if they have ABSOLUTELY NO PLASTIC SURGERY TRAINING WHATSOEVER. These celebrisurgeons may make for good TV but many of them poorly represent the profession of plastic surgery.

It's time that the public stop patronizing the businesses of charlatans and sleazemongers who are an embarrassment to an otherwise noble and valuable profession -- one which helps countless individuals through reconstructive as well as aesthetic procedures every year.

Posted at 6:04PM on Nov 14th 2007 by randomthoughts

116. MAN SORRY FOR YOU LOST KANYE.. I REMEMBER WHEN YOU CAME INTO MY DENTAL OFFICE I WAS THE ONE HELPED IN YOUR SURGERY.. WHEN YOU WERE DOING THAT FIRST VIDEO AFTER YOUR CAR ACCIDENT.. YEA I TOOK GOOD CARE OF MY FRIEND. NOT ONLY DO THE SURGEON PLAY A BIG PART BUT SO DO WE AS THE ASSIGNED NURSE NOT NEVER WOULD I HAVE LET MY PATIENT GO HOME AFTER A 8HR SURGERY. MY MOTHER WAS IN THAT DIRTY HOSPITAL ONE TIME AND WE HAD HER MOVED QUICKLY.. SO MAYBE NOW NOT ONLY SHOULD THEY LOOK INTO THE DOCTORS AND STAFF BUT THE HOSPITAL AS A WHOLE.. MY PRAYERS R WITH YOU..

YOUR NURSE RITA..

Posted at 3:34PM on Nov 13th 2007 by I LOVE MY MOMMA

117. First off that's not kool to say she got a GREAT DEAL even if she did the woman is dead...dang you don't have any respect!!! However like some else yea I'm surprised it took so long to come out...make me wonder...

Posted at 12:28PM on Nov 14th 2007 by @nYah

118. I had a breast reduction revision (minor tweaking) and a tummy tuck 4 years ago - I stayed overnight in the hospital (not an outpatient situation). I cannot imagine sending someone home the same day... The stitches can tear I was cathertized to make sure I didn't have to get up at all. Not to mention the possibility of internal bleeding and infection!

Posted at 3:55PM on Nov 13th 2007 by Tummy Tucked Myself

119. R.I.P. Dr. Donda West

Extreme Makeover © 2005
by Dr. Goddess
(an excerpt from the one-woman show)

If I could just
Remove this
And touch up that
And suck in this
Get rid of the fat
From my thighs
Around eyes
In my chin
Cheekbones slim
Then

If I could
Lift this here
And
Tuck that in
And
Take that away
Adjust my shins
Then

I could turn and
Face them all
And they would say
Hey beautiful
Let's go have a ball
Cuz
Everyday, everywhere I be
Somewhere in print, magazines and on the t.v.
Created wants and manufactured dreams
Team up on me and say
I'm not worth the breath I'm sucking in today
But that's okay
There's another way
To display
Who I really want to be

Extreme
Makeover
Time to take over
This culture
In extreme ways
With supreme displays
Of pristine mental acuity
Travel through my spiritual maze
Because
Everytime you try to come clean
Capitalism, sexism, racism engenders low self-esteem
Making you want to be everything other than who you be

And we choose
And lose
To engage in secret wants, desires
Burning embers and fires
Inside
That whisper
"Hey Queen,
Do the Extreme!"
Makeover
They'll help you rake over
Your eyes
Your hair
Your nose
Your face
Anything you feel is a disgrace
Make it disappear
Overnight
Or in six weeks
Of time
Have people clapping
When you step out from behind
The curtain
but are you certain?

What if
It could be
The other way around, you see?
What if you looked in the mirror and said
Before you make me swallow this curse of self-hatred,
You'll be dead
first!
Primp your afro
Caress the nose
Highlight the cheekbones
Slip on the hose
Up around those
big thighs, no matter the size
Rounded knees
and hamstrings
No need to hide
Cuz I'll be sayin'
I'm dr. goddess,
gonna win this race
I got
long legs
big breasts
and a cute ass face

But the utmost importance
Is what's here in my head
All my synapses firing
From the books that I read
Ain't gonna takeover
One inch of my physical self
Because the vast stretch of my wealth
Is resting on this inner shelf
It's time to come clean
how obscene it would be
making over as extreme
a supreme being

©January 25, 2005 Dr. Goddess / Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved Absolutely no reposting or reprinting without explicit permission by the author:
drgoddessarts@gmail.com). www.myspace.com/drgoddessarts www.drgoddess.com



Dear All:

It is entirely heartbreaking to hear of the untimely death of Dr. Donda West, scholar and celebrity mom of hip hop artist, Kanye West. Based on the most recent accounts, Dr. West died of complications from cosmetic surgery (breast lift and tummy tuck), following refusals from one doctor and contested treatment from another:

VH1.com
TMZ.com
Bossip.com

What struck me most about this story is that people assume that Dr. Wests’ having been a tenured professor and Chair of an English Department would somehow make her (or any of us) immune from poor body image, resulting from the constant bombardment of imagery advocating our indulgence in self-hatred, vanity and/or the need for acceptance and love in this world. When I wrote this poem, “Extreme Makeover”, it was after constant arguments with friends and myself over the “value” of plastic surgery. We wondered what our decisions would be “if we only had enough money” to be in the position to make a real choice. I am extraordinarily struck by surgeon, Dr. Adam’s alleged statement that Dr. West struggled with this decision, granting consent and then halting the procedure, over a four month period. I doubt this was a scheduling issue and theorize that it was an internal battle. It’s sad to read of this story, in particular, after hearing voluptuous, chanteuse, Jennifer Hudson, proudly state “I have the height of a model, the breasts that people pay for and the lips that everybody wants, so why should I change? I wouldn’t change myself for anything or anybody. That will never happen.”

As artists, as poets, we are always seeking to speak and heal ourselves and the world. Out of respect for our struggles to resist the urge to make us all Barbie dolls, the tragic fall of Dr. West and a celebration of Hudson’s words, I offer this following poem. It’s an excerpt from “Dr. Goddess!: A One Woman Show”, which is currently on tour.

For more information and to see the trailer, visit: www.myspace.com/drgoddessarts or email: drgoddessarts@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D.
aka
Dr. Goddess

Posted at 4:45PM on Nov 13th 2007 by Dr. Goddess

120. Money and greed will drive people to do anything. I understand that Ms. West had a pre-existing condition that a Board Certified Surgeon refussed to do. Vanity and what America perceives as beauty must have therefore over clouded her otherwise good judgement and she went running to this hack probably to fit into a special dress for a special occasion. Some surgeons have no ethics, they only see money (example: Michael Jackson, Cher and the lady who had her face turned into the face of a lion) are now being held accountable...no matter how much money they have been offered. It's also helpful to have an advocate with you, someone you trust, someone who can ask and hear objective questions. The patient may not always be thinking clearly in terms of the risks.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family!

Posted at 5:54PM on Nov 13th 2007 by SalinasSandi