I got great news today. Well, actually awful news, but something I've been waiting to hear. A friend of mine named Karen found out about my current journey from her son, read the blog and thought she should get checked. She has Stage 2 breast cancer and, in a whirlwind of tests and suggestions over the past three weeks, she has already started chemo.
Whenever something traumatic happens, people are inspired to look for deeper meaning in life or a silver lining. I sort of thought I should be doing this as well: getting in touch spiritually or treasuring my time on Earth or something profound. But that's not really in my nature.
Mostly, the last three months have been just uncomfortable and inconvenient.
So, I've been waiting to hear that at least the people I know are learning something from my experience. Beyond the pink billboards and smiley commercials, people should know that cancer is real and scary and much more common than we think. Something like one in five women will get breast cancer. Men with breast cancer in their family have an 8% increased chance of getting it too.
Karen is a nurse, around my mom's age, and she totally knows better. However, she admitted to only doing self-exams about twice in her life and having mammograms...(quantity unknown).
Breast cancer is one of the "lucky" ones that is actually treatable, especially if you catch it early. If it runs in your family, you should do monthly self-checks, annual breast exams, and mammograms 10 years before the onset of cancer in your family. (Which I found out after I was diagnosed.) If it doesn't run in your family, you should do monthly self-checks, annual breast exams and mammograms yearly from age 40 on. I don't think all the pretty pink ribbon hype is clear on this.
So, while it sucks that I know someone else going through the trials of cancer treatment and recovery, I'm glad she caught it and is able to move forward from here.
And that's what I have to say about Breast Cancer Awareness.
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