When Courtney Curtin was told she carried the BRCA1 gene, she learned that her lifetime risk of breast cancer was 60 to 80 percent. After consulting with her care team at NYU Langone, consisting of medical oncologist Julia Smith, MD, breast surgeon Deborah Axelrod, MD, and plastic surgeon Mihye Choi, MD, Curtin decided to have a procedure called Breast in a Day. This innovative surgery combines a double mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction into a single procedure.

Today on NBC follows Curtin’s journey, and interviews Dr. Smith and Dr. Choi about the significance of the procedure. Amazingly, it reduced Curtin’s lifetime breast cancer risk to 1 percent—lower than the national average—and helped her to return to a more natural appearance and get back to activities more quickly. “They wake up, they feel whole. They don’t have a period of prolonged grieving process with no breasts,” says Dr. Choi. “So I think that having this type of option really makes them feel more confident that they can resume their normal life.”

Watch more on Today.