I just found out last night that one of my friends from college has been battling breast cancer all summer, at age 27. She has no family history on either side of any kind of cancer, and is currently on her second round of Chemo. Please, if you haven't had one already, schedule a mammogram. I don't care if your doc says mammograms are only for women who are menopausal or whatever excuse they try to give you. Fight for the mammogram, because even a small lump can go undetected for years without a mammogram. My friend's surgeon said she may have had the lump for 10 years before she felt it in her monthly self exam. Finding the lump lead her to decide on a double mastectomy and rounds of Chemo. The surgeon also found cancer cells in her lymph nodes under one of her arms.
Needless to say, I had a hard time sleeping last night, because my mind just kept going on and on about the "what if" scenarios...what if I were to get cancer? What would I do with my daughters? How would I tell them? Would I be strong enough to get through it without having a nervous breakdown? My mind just wouldn't stop. I don't have any family history of breast cancer in ether side of my family, but my grandfather did have prostate cancer and skin cancer, and you never really know where those cancer cells are going to decide to stop and set up camp.
After reading my friends' blog, I was amazed at how she was able to keep her head (mostly) while dealing with the diagnosis and all the options, doctor appointments, surgeries, and the prospect of losing her breasts. I believe she is a much stronger woman than I am, because I am not sure if I would have taken to the situation the way she did, were I in her shoes.
You know, I found myself thinking, over the weekend, of all the things I have to do before we move to Florida on Oct 23rd, all the packing, selling, throwing away, organizing, and then, when I read her blog about her cancer battle, everything seemed to be put into perspective. The things I thought were so big and important and stressful, really weren't as bad as I thought. I was dealing with throwing away things I hadn't used in 10 years but still felt an emotional attachment to; packing things I thought I wanted just because I had spent hard earned money on it; but what I didn't realize is all the problems I thought were huge and insurmountable were really small and insignificant compared to what I could have been facing.
I won't use names and I might have posted too much info about her already (since I didn't get her permission before writing this post, I tried to use as little identifying information as possible), but please, if anyone actually reads my blog, male or female, please get checked for breast cancer, whether you have a family history of it or not. Just doing self checks once a month obviously isn't good enough anymore.
My friend, I commend you on your battle with something not many people could face with your sense of humor, determination, and faith. I know it has been years since we have seen or really talked with each other, but if there is anything that I can ever do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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