Why One Woman Walked 1,000 Miles Across the Country Completely Topless

Video by POPSUGARAfter having a double masectomy and learning she was not a candidate for [...]

By Libby Birk


Video by POPSUGAR

After having a double masectomy and learning she was not a candidate for reconstruction surgery, Paulette Leaphart felt that part of her was missing.

"Double masectomies — that's a fancy word for 'amputation'," Leaphart said. "They amputated both of my breasts. I mean, they cut 'em off. That was a part of me, you know?"

So she set off to "free women" like herself who had also gone through double masectomies with no reconstructive surgery. So on April 30, 2016, she began the 1,000-mile walk from her hometown of Biloxi, MS to Washington, DC — completely topless.

"Breasts don't define us. What defines us is our courage, our strength and our self worth," Leaphart said.

She arrived in Washington DC almost two months later on June 27 — her 50th birthday. Watch her whole story in the video above.

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