B.Support // Breast Cancer Awareness
Today is the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
So you’re probably wondering why the heck I’d even bother publishing a post on the topic today. But here’s the thing. Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care what month it is. It’s not sitting there like “Oh, I can only come around in October because that’s when there is awareness on the subject.” No, it can come anytime, anywhere. I would know.
I was in college the first time I had a breast cancer scare. I walked into the doctor’s office for my routine yearly check-up and walked out with the most terrifying news. Shortly after, I spent a break back at home, not enjoying time off from school but instead having surgery to remove what ended up being (Thankfully!) benign lumps. The bad news- they found even more lumps, that had previously been undetectable due to all my breast tissue, while they were operating. The good news- they were able to get every lump removed. But the experience scarred me in more ways than the physical scar I’ll carry with me forever.
Since that first scare, I’ve had several more, the most recent being the last year I lived in New York. Thankfully, every time, the lumps have been benign, but it doesn’t make the experience any less terrifying. And I’ve also come to accept the fact that lumps will forever be a part of my life and I will forever be living in some sort of fear that one day one of those lumps may not actually be benign.
The especially frightening thing is that, for someone like me, with a larger chest, it can be harder to detect said lumps on your own. I’m not a doctor or a scientist, and there are as many studies saying larger chest size means a higher risk for breast cancer as there are studies saying the complete opposite. But I do know from personal experience that lumps in larger chests are much harder to detect without a screening. So this is just a little personal PSA to please get yourself regular screenings and mammograms. None of the lumps I’ve ever had were detectable on their own and if I had waited the doctor recommended time frames to get screened, the outcome would have been a whole lot worse than it is. So, if you’re a woman, especially one with a larger chest and/or a family history of breast cancer, please, please, please get regular yearly screenings, and don’t just wait for breast cancer awareness month or a three year check-up to do it.
P.S. I know in last month’s B.Support post I promised a bra review this month, but I decided to move it to November because I felt that this PSA was too important not to share this month. Hope you gals don’t mind and I promise the bra review post will be up soon <3
