Normally I would just post a picture of my two girls on Facebook saying…its Pink Out day for spirit week to support Breast Cancer awareness and call it a day. But now that I’ve shifted my focus and am doing a 100 days of blogging challenge, I thought I’d share a little bit more about why my girls dressing up for this spirit day is more than just another spirit week day.
Breast cancer hits home
I think we all know that October is Breast Cancer awareness month. For me, this type of cancer hits very close to home for three very distinct reasons. First, my biological mom had breast cancer and passed away in her early 30’s, when I was only 3 years old. The only memories I have of her are the pictures I’ve seen and what my older sisters have shared with me. This is probably one of the last family photos we have before she passed away. Any guess which one is me?
Yep, the one in pink. The youngest! I do sometimes wonder how my life would be different had she not passed away when I was so young. But my dad did remarry a few years later and thats who I now refer to as “my mom.”
My own scare with an abnormal mammogram
With my family history, I started getting mammograms in my 20’s. When I was living in Dallas in my late 20’s, I had my first scare with an abnormal mammogram. I would go on to have a procedure to remove the questionable tissue. By the grace of God, it was what they called fibrosys. You can read more about what that is HERE. Since then, I have pretty regular mammograms. Occasionally I will have to be referred to have an MRI or ultrasound to just be certain everything is ok. Its a little nerve-racking but just something you’ve got to do.
When another family member gets breast cancer
The phone call you never want to get from your sister, is the one telling you that she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a phone call that I received in June of 2017 while we were on a family vacation in California. Thankfully she caught it soon enough and was able to go through chemo and other treatments and kicked cancers butt! It wasn’t without the scary thoughts that it wouldn’t work or that something would happen to her. I’m grateful for the advancements in technology and treatments there are now as opposed to when my biological mom had breast cancer in the 1970’s.
I guess the takeaway from this blog post is to not take your health for granted. Schedule those checkups, even if you don’t want to. We are our own best advocate for our health. Pay attention to how you’re feeling and if something doesn’t seem right, get it checked out.
My heart is with my friends who have walked this path or who are currently doing so. I pray you each kick cancers butt!
xo
