Breast Cancer Awareness: From my personal story to how you can make a difference!

So I wanted to kick off my blog during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, not only because this may be one of the most important topics regarding women's health, but also because someone near and dear to me suffered from and then beat breast cancer! This person is my mother-in-law, Elainea. Let me tell you a little bit about her story.

It was 2015. I remember her calling me saying that her routine annual mammogram was "abnormal" and that they were going to have another doctor read it to confirm. That doctor then told her he wasn't too sure what he saw and that's when I thought, "I don't think this radiologist is a specialist". In other words, yes some radiologists specialize in reading breast imaging and in particular mammograms so they have a trained eye for suspicious findings. So I told her to get out of there and we set out on the hunt for a Breast Imaging Radiologist in her town. Not many women know there is extra training that is necessary to read or interpret breast imaging, but now you know! When the specialist saw her films, she knew immediately that it was cancer. And Elainea not only had one lesion, but a few on the left breast. Turns out she had two types of cancers growing.

Given that the radiologist was a breast radiologist, she had a team that she worked closely with including a breast surgeon and breast oncologist to make the best treatment plan for Elainea. Her treatment consisted of a left mastectomy and chemotherapy, because of where and what types of breast cancer she had. But of course, every treatment is different for each patient.

I'm sharing the photo of Elainea's "Head Shaving Party" right before her first chemo session and we had a blast! There were mammogram cookies, a boob cake and my brother in law even shaved his head along-side Elainea! This type of support was what she needed right before going through a stressful and scary time in her life. 

Today, fast forward 4 years later, all her hair has grown back and she looks better than ever! She's living life to the fullest and she is excited for the future and enjoying all the trips her and my father in law have planned. (Those world travelers!) I'm thrilled that she beat it, and she definitely has thrived rather than just survived! I hope you enjoyed my story mujeres! I'm sure each and every one of you knows another mujer who has suffered, but hopefully has or will survive this disease.

---

These are a few facts I would like for you to know and share...

1. The statistic is that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. This is so true and that's why everyone knows at least one woman who has or has had breast cancer.

2. Your diet and weight can affect your risk, so eating more of a plant-based diet and working on living at a healthy weight will minimize your chances.

3. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology still recommend for women to get an annual breast exam starting at age 40, but of course, the recommendation could change to an earlier age depending on your risk factors

4. Breast cancer is usually not, I repeat not painful! More common would be symptoms of a hard lump, change in the skin on the breast and a change in shape or size of the breast.

5. If you have a family history of any type of cancer, please make your provider aware so they can see if you qualify for genetic testing. It isn't only a family history of breast cancer that increases your risk, and if you test positive then your risk can be higher than the average population and so more surveillance or preventive measures can be taken.

---

I will end with this. I had the opportunity to go to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology National Meeting in 2018 and had the privilege of hearing Nancy Brinker speak at the opening ceremony. Now I know many of you are thinking ok Erica, who is Nancy Brinker? Well, she happens to be the founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation which she created and dedicated to her sister, Susy Komen, who died of breast cancer. 

Do you want to know why everything for breast cancer awareness is pink? Well, that was Susy's favorite color. So sweet! Her main point at this talk was to make us all aware that the biggest disparities are with women of color and that breast cancer is the most common cancer in women of color as well. Women of color also have a breast cancer death rate as high as 40%. This, of course, is unacceptable. Since I know a lot of women of color will be reading my blog, I hope they will learn more about breast cancer and that this knowledge will make a difference even in the life of one mujer.

---