When Dr. Nick Tarola came to Murfreesboro to establish Tarola Plastic Surgery, both he and his wife, Adrienne, jumped into involvement in the Murfreesboro community with both feet. After he completed a fellowship in plastic surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Nick and Adrienne knew they wanted to raise their children in Middle Tennessee. Murfreesboro has been their home for the last 15 years.
Dr. Tarola came to Murfreesboro in 2011 as a specialist in reconstruction surgery for breast cancer survivors. He is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon who obtained his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and completed his residency in general surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. From there, he went on to Vanderbilt where he gained extensive training in both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, breast and body.
“As a plastic surgeon,” said Nick, “we get involved after the patient has already been given the cancer diagnosis, decided on a treatment plan, seen their breast surgeon and they are contemplating breast reconstruction. At that point, they come to us to hear about their options, and then we work with their breast surgeon to perform the cancer surgery and reconstruction. I started doing that as soon as I completed training at Vanderbilt.”
Adrienne began volunteering for Wine Around the Square and Power of Pink almost as soon as the family got settled in the community. Glenda Meredith, then the Physician Liaison at the Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, was the first to reach out to Adrienne about Power of Pink. Then, her background in event planning and marketing, along with her interest in the community, brought Adrienne to the attention of Rita Ash and Patty Marschel. She has been a part of their “Pink Team” ever since.
“I started serving the wine,” explained Adrienne. “I worked in the Rosé Garden with Julia McKenna, and then I served on the planning committee for one year. That is the year we decided to make…big angel wings with the names of all of [the hospital’s] breast cancer survivors on them as a photo op. We had pictures done for Instagram and other social media. I have served as chair for the VIP party the last two years.”
In 2012, Nick told Adrienne about the launch of Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day (BRA) by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Created to promote education, awareness and access to reconstructive surgery for women interested in post-mastectomy reconstruction, the couple had the idea of creating an event that would promote both breast cancer and reconstructive surgery awareness, while raising money for the cause. Ballroom BRA was born. The event would go on to raise more than $150,000 between 2014 and 2019.
“The American Society of Plastic Surgeons tasked plastic surgeons around the country to help raise awareness for breast reconstruction,” Nick explained, “with Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day, [which falls on the third Wednesday in October]. The first year we decided to do a small event at the office. We had some of our breast reconstruction patients come in and we celebrated them. I am not sure who decided to do something larger the next year in the community, it was probably Adrienne’s idea for sure, she ran with that and [Ballroom BRA became] her baby.”
“We started Ballroom BRA the year Dancing with the Stars was really taking off,” noted Adrienne. “Originally, I had 10 contestants, five women and five men from the community, and then we made it bigger to get more people involved. The last year, I went to businesses and let them do groups, and then I had dance studios feature one of their competition classes.”
Initially, the event was very much like Dancing with the Stars, a local VIP was paired with someone from a local dance studio to learn a dance in a competition, which took place at the Stones River Country Club.
“So far, we have given all most all of the proceed to the Power of Pink,” added Nick.
Asked if Ballroom BRA would return, Adrienne explained that it grew to be a massive undertaking the last year and with the addition of her store, Nashboro Chic and her children, her time has become limited. The store, which initially opened in her husband’s office building, grew quickly and was moved into a building across the street within five months. Plus, the couple have four children: Dominick, Vincent, Anthony and Natalia.
“They say as your children get older it is supposed to get easier,” said Adrienne, “but it gets harder with them going off in their own directions.”
A few years after creating Ballroom BRA, the Tarolas created a foundation of their own, Reconstructing for Life. The mission of the 501c3 is to help individuals pay for reconstructive surgery after an accident, illness or physically altering event.
The couple continues to be involved with the Power of Pink and Wine Around the Square, donating time and treasure to both.
“I’d love to do a reunion Ballroom BRA event with some of our past dancers and the new board chair of the Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation, Dave Davis was a winner in 2017” added Adrienne. “We’ll see….”