Breast Cancer Won’t Win Again
I thought it’d be too cliche to write a blog on Breast Cancer for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but then I realized how many people still aren’t totally aware. I battled with myself emotionally because of the loss of my mother due to her battle with breast cancer. I didn’t want to be “naked” in the eyes of my audience, because if I’m totally honest, God is still working on my vulnerability. However, here I am before you, “naked”. Requesting that you get to know your body. Our breasts are forever changing. From youth, to adolescences, to adulthood and even following childbirth.
I struggle so much with the topic on breast cancer because the truth is is that I’m not as aware as I think I should be. I tried to drown out the thought of it for so long after watching my mom go through her battle. After a couple of years I took the BRCA test to find out whether or not things were genetic. Turned out I didn’t have the trait, so I ruled myself as okay. My normal breast checks in the shower every so often started to change to not so much. Then, babies started to form in my womb and so my breast went through a world of changing. The tissue not so dense to the touch. The perkiness that once was there, not so much. Time to care for myself or even think about starting my mammograms were the last thing on my mind. That’s until just earlier this month, God brought to my heart a woman, a warrior who fought the fight and won against breast cancer. I texted her late one night, unbeknownst to her, I was subconsciously thinking about the appointment I had coming up in a few days, and how scared I was to go, because I just turned 29, and getting closer to 30 scares me because of how young my mother was when she passed away. I just didn’t want any bad news from my OB. Still, I needed to share with this Warrior of a Woman my admiration for sharing her story, and thanked God that she’s here to tell her story. When she shared how she found out about cancer, it resonated so very well with me. As a mother of three, a wife, a career woman, I allowed so much to get in the way of taking care of my health or listening to my body, that I would rule things as minor and just try to push through it. Thankfully, I had the courage to speak up at my doctors appointment regarding the history of breast cancer, and my mother being diagnosed in her early 30s. My doctor giving me the wisdom that I’ll be happy to share with you, “If you have history of breast cancer, you should start having mammograms no later than 10 years before the age of the person who was diagnosed.” Needless to say mammograms should’ve been apart of my annual checkups way before now, but we all have to start somewhere, and my beginning is scheduled for next month.
Seeing my mom go through something that I knew in my heart she didn’t deserve, no one does, killed me inside. I was young and unsure of how to process those feelings. So I drowned out the thought or care to take care of my body the way I needed to. However, I know that’s not what she wanted. In fact I know that for sure, because when she, my older sister and I sat in her hospital room she guided our hands to feel her breast so that we knew exactly what to look for when we checked ourselves. Being a woman who was well reserved of her body, I knew that this was serious to her. However, I didn’t know then how serious cancer was. I was in denial that my mom was in an unhealthy state. All I knew was that my mom was coming home. She would beat this mess and this would all be a memory. As I reflect on that moment I know now that she knew she needed to leave us with wisdom and have certainty about our health.
MsConceptions Founder and Beautiful Mother
If you struggle with time when it comes to setting appointments or getting check ups. Make time. If health insurance and finances are your hurdle, please get with a professional to help you get things in order so that you can set routine visits up. Your loved ones need you to, and most importantly, you need you to. If you have a loved one battling any form of cancer or illness, please take your time to just be there. Love on them. Encourage them. During your doctor visits, don’t be shy. If something doesn’t feel right then you have to speak up about it. I try to live a very natural life, but I also want to be realistic as well. Medical help is around for a reason and it’s time we start really talking about what it is we are going through. To every survivor, to every fighter to every motherless child just know I see you. I hear you. I’m praying for a cure, for peace in your heart and for victorious outcomes. Peace. Love. Blessings.
