Salute to All Breast Cancer Warriors

Hey everybody, I know it has been a while. Today I decided to post on a very serious issue that needs to be acknowledged. Today’s post will be on breast cancer and its awareness. The month of October is used to celebrate breast cancer awareness every year throughout the world. I’ve however noticed that because of the current pandemic it is barely acknowledged and this shouldn’t be the case as breast cancer does not go away because COVID-19 is currently active. We should, therefore, continuously remain vigilant and aware of it.

Today, I am going to share with you my breast story and raise my glass to salute all breast cancer warriors.

I find the breast one of the most interesting organ on the human body, specifically on the woman’s body. Growing up, I have always been worried about mine, especially since I matured faster than the other children in my home, classrooms, and everywhere else a child is vulnerable to getting teased. I wanted bras that would make my breast appear smaller which often resulted in uncomfortable jabbing pain and bra scars. As you can see my life as a teenager was a nightmare.

I remember trying to tolerate all of that uncomfortableness, I used to worry about breast cancer – the highlight of the month. I would go home trying to remember how my science teacher explained self-examination. In fact, I gave myself a scare once when I thought that I felt a lump – turned out it was just my breast (lol). That scare made me appreciate my breast more than ever and my respect for the people who have to live with this disease was on a completely different level.

To salute those people, I want to share five facts I wish I knew before I tortured myself doing that self-examination:

1. Your breast size has nothing to do with breast cancer and even men are vulnerable.
2. If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, talk to your doctor about other ways to lower your risk.
3. Exercise as much as you can. It makes you less vulnerable to breast cancer and a lot of other things so, why not just get it over with.
4. Avoid drinking alcohol or save it for special occasions. Even the bible tells you to know your limit.
5. They say breast is best. It not just for the baby. It is also best for you so breastfeed as much as you can while you can!

I charge all my readers to take responsibility for your own health as breast cancer is a very serious disease. It is the most common cancer in women worldwide with nearly 1.7 million represented in 2012. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to at least one month to acknowledge not only its existence and prevalence but also ways to achieve early diagnosis and prevention.