Ta Tas Tuesday
It's time to talk about boobs!
October is breast cancer awareness month (along with a smorgasbord of other awareness weeks 'national day of...') For me, this month is all about the Ta Tas. Each Tuesday this month there will be a post relating to breast cancer to help bring awareness and give voice to a monster that steals joy all over the world.
Many of you may know of someone; a friend, a church member, a family member, a member of your community, or you yourself may be fighting for your life; against a disease that does not judge, does not discriminate, it is not biased, or sexiest, it does not care how old you are, what kind of life you have lived or what tax bracket you are in. This first week I want to touch on getting the facts about breast cancer and some misconceptions people have about breast cancer. I am no cancer researcher, I am not a doctor or a specialist; I am however a family member of a loved one affected by cancer.
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| My beautiful mom on the right and my strong amazing Aunt Cathy on the left |
I would like to introduce you to my beautiful mother: Sandra Jean Rowe Swanson. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 29, 1999, 8 months after she found her first lump. I was a little girl at the time of her diagnosis, not even 8-years-old yet. The only thing I can remember about being told that my mommy had cancer is both our parents sitting us down and reading us this book called "Kemo Shark" that talks all about the changes that are going to happen to mommy and why she is going to start looking sick in order to make her not sick anymore. It was a very confusing concept for an almost 8-year-old to understand at that time, it is still a difficult concept to wrap my 26-year-old brain around now. I think we (at the time my older brother 13 and my younger brother almost 4) understood that mommy was really sick and this was really serious.
I might have been young when my mom was diagnosed, I might have been young when my mother loss her war with cancer but the living through this diagnosis, the treatments, the understanding of what is going on doesn't just end when the person passes or the diagnosis is clean. Cancer has a way of changing the rest of your life. Not just those who have the diagnosis but for their loved ones who fight along side them, their children who are trying to understand why parents or siblings must be isolated at can't play right now. Cancer is a plague that affects everyone around it (this is purely literary imagery, cancer is not contagious like the flu).
Misconception #1: I can catch cancer like an virus or bacteria.
This is 100% false. Cancer is not a contagious disease and it is not transmittable. Keep hugging and being there for your loved ones during this time, it is okay, you are not going to walk away with cancer. Cancer is a genetic mutation within the body. A healthy body reproduces cells to replace tired, worn-out, and damaged cells within the body. However, someone with cancer, these cells are mutated and abnormal and are reproducing in such a way that they are damaging healthy tissue around them. This is why there is a lump at the site or a growth present. These cells are dividing at a rate that is causing damage and they 'lump' together.
While cancer is not contagious, cancer can be hereditary (especially breast cancer). There are genetic marker tests that can be done to test to see if you are a carrier, these tests are rather expensive and most insurances do not cover them and must come out of pocket. If these genetic tests are not an option for you. What my doctor told me is, take the age of the person diagnosed and subtract 10, that is the age that you should be going in for yearly mammograms and/or sonograms*. For me my mom was diagnosed when she was 35, I actually started getting tested when I was 23.
(*Side note: Insurance WILL NOT cover a mammogram for a person under the age of 40 unless there is reasonable proof that the person has cancer. However, insurance will cover sonograms for this kind of testing. If the technician and doctor see something on the sonogram that concerns them, then a mammogram will be ordered and insurance will then cover it.)
Misconception #2: I am a guy, I don't have boobs, I can't get breast cancer.
WRONG!!!! most definitely, 100%, absolutely WRONG! The coined term 'breast' cancer has nothing to do with the gender and the apparent anatomy of the person, we call breast cancer, 'breast' cancer because of the common location of the abnormal cell growth that loves the tender spot of tissue around the pectoral muscle (aka the boobs). This is also the case for those women who have had a mastectomy as a preventive measure. While this is helpful and usually suggested as part of cancer treatments, 'breast' cancer has nothing to do with the anatomy and everything to do with the cells and tissue. While breast cancer is more prominent in women, because of the extra tissue women carry in this area, men are just as likely to get the diagnosis of 'breast' cancer.
Misconception #3: If I exercise and eat right and live a healthy lifestyle I wont get cancer.
Remember what I said earlier...cancer don't care what you eat, how you live, how often you go the gym. You cannot prevent cancer from happening but you can lower your risk. And yes that does start by choosing to live a healthier lifestyle by watching how much you consume, how often you are engaging in physical activity, the life habits that you may have or surround yourself in, etc. But in the end it is not a guarantee. However, the healthier your body is the healthier your body is! The better it is going to function both inside and out and maintain normal functioning better and longer. The American Cancer Society has published tons of information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, not just because it lowers your risks but because it is just a better way of life.
Sifting through all the myths and facts of breast cancer can be exhausting. It seems like every week there is another story circulating about how wearing bras causes cancer, if you have had an abortion your more at risk for breast cancer, don't you dare put on the antiperspirant you'll get breast cancer...Being able to find legitimate resources is half the battle. Take note of the articles and how credible they are. Check out some of these and go from there:
Throughout the month of October the notion of breast cancer support and resources will be common place, but for many people living with and living in the aftermath of breast cancer is an every day of the year battle.
I look forward to sharing with you my journey, what I know, how I deal, how I feel and some pretty remarkable stories of strength, hope, and loss.
Till next Tuesday!
Blessings & Joy
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