Tag: Breast cancer screening

Pink reminder, get your mammogram

decisionsformyfamily1 Comment

 

October, the world a wash in pink everywhere you look, corporations cashing in on the cancer struggle of millions of women.  I had no intention of posting anything this month, I don’t post much these days.  My mind was changed after receiving the news that another friend has just been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Her journey begins, so many lives affected.

The questions from my own daughters are now deeper.   Four years is a long time in the life of a child, they remember my surgery but did they really understand?  Last night my little one, now 9, asked if I could ever get “that cancer” since I had the BPM.  For me, the much more important question is how high of a risk my beautiful daughters have and how do we handle those risks as they grow.  The only answer I can find right now, control what you can.  When was your last mammogram?  If you don’t remember pick up the phone and call for an appointment today!    Talk to every women in your life and remind them to do the same.  If you like pink that’s great but keep in mind that if millions were not being made by every company making or wearing all of that pink, it would not be happening.  Instead use the pink as a reminder, get your screening!

“An ounce of prevention is worth  a pound of cure”- Benjamin Franklin

There of course is no cure for cancer but the studies are very clear, the earlier breast cancer is found the better the chance treatment will be successful.  Call for your mammogram today!

“Brave” revisited

decisionsformyfamily3 Comments

Since the beginning of this entire process, at least the beginning of telling other people what decision I had made regarding my health, the decision to voluntary have my breast removed in order to not become a cancer statistic, I have lost count of the amount of time I have been told how brave I am.  It comes in different forms, brave, strong, how much people respect me, etc.

I find these comments to be as strange now as I have since the beginning. I posted a page called “Brave” in June and I am left with the same question today as I had then, is it brave to do the only thing really available to possibly prevent cancer and extend your time? I remember the day I got the call with the pathology report, “My holy shit day“, I was numb.  That call was the reality staring me in the face of what would have been had I not had the surgery.  The basic guarantee that within the next few years, a cancer patient.

In some ways I feel pressure,  I have always been the strong one.  Even when I worked, I was sent into situations that needed to be fixed.  I was the one who dealt with the “problem” employees, implementing unpopular changes or the tough decisions.  Honestly, I like to be in those positions.  I like a challenge but this is different.  There have been many days when I have felt like pure shit yet someone texts or sees you near the mail box and the last thing they expect to hear from me is the truth. I don’t mean that to sound bad, I mean it makes me feel good that people look at me this way, just sometimes I guess things are not always as they appear.

So, Brave?  Running like hell away from something I saw running toward me? To me the only decision I had to make. But if my story can help someone, inspire someone well good!  Take control!

Two more days until Newpples….

Took the girls to the salon today for back to school cuts.  I think they enjoy it just a bit too much.

Random thoughts

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Sluggish today…it is grey and chilly out after a few days of sunny 80 degree weather. Hard to get going.  Sitting and listening to Megan practice piano before we go to the bus stop.  Beauty and the Beast right now.  She plays so beautifully!  She always wanted to play.  I can remember a tiny Megan about 3 years old asking if she could play piano.  My answer then was sure while wondering where she would come up with something like that.  By age 4 , it continued so we bought an electronic keyboard for her birthday.  She would sit and hit the keys pretending to perform for us.  At 5, she was able to finally get lessons.  We rented a piano after 6 months then purchased it at 1 year.  She played in her first recital last June at 6 years old playing Mozart.  This year she will be playing Fur Elise by Beethoven.  She is just so beautiful in all of her 7-year-old glory playing like someone much more experienced.  Of course a you tube video will be posted just like last year!

I am so tired.  Was up late looking into the different character meals at Disney World.  I also added some links to the sidebar of the page.  The first is the breast cancer risk assessment tool.  It is very easy and quick to answer but extremely important.  The other is from the breast cancer site and claims to offer free mammograms for a simple click.  The advertisers pay the cost.  I figure it is worth the click if indeed it could help someone who otherwise may not be able to have the screening.  Early detection saves lives..period! The last addition is a link that shows the proper way to perform a breast self exam.  This is how I have always found my lumps.  No one knows your girls better than you!

Take control of your own health!