Bonus Post: Breast Cancer Awareness
As I was creating the images to accompany the post for this week I played around with adding text - “breast cancer awareness” or “Hope” or “Cure”. But the truth is this image needs no explanation. The breast cancer pink ribbon is one of - if not THE - most widely recognized symbols for cancer awareness. Along with the ribbon you can now find bracelets, stickers, t-shirts, tote bags, and the list goes on.
But don’t let the pretty pink facade fool you - this is nothing to be trifled with. In the United States breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, behind skin cancer, with a woman’s lifetime risk of developing invasive breast cancer of 1 in 8. One in Eight! Let that sink in for a minute. The majority of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women older than 50, however young women are being diagnosed at increasing rates. And young women tend to be diagnosed much later, at more advanced stages of cancer, and have lower survival rates. Mammograms are a commonly used screening tool in older women, however in younger women are shown not to be as effective, due to more dense breast tissue.
So what can you do? CHECK YOURSELF. Let me say it again so it really sticks: CHECK. YOUR. SELF. Be familiar with the way your breasts look and feel. Do a self-check exam at least every month. That’s the way that I found the cancer (because it’s just “the” cancer, not “my” cancer).
You might have heard my story before - I try to share it with everyone - but I’m going to share it again here because I want it to reach as many people as I can. I had just turned 27 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. And I had NO family history. No BRCA gene. It just happened. When I first felt the lump I was busy with life (you feel me, amiright?) and delayed getting it checked. I had had other lumps in the past that were nothing, so I used that ‘history’ to reassure myself that nothing was wrong. But as time went on it felt as though it was getting larger. So when I went for my yearly gynecology check up I asked my doctor to feel it and tell me what she thought. And you know what? She said all was normal and I went back to my normal day-to-day. But that lump didn’t go away, and in fact became more and more noticeable. I scheduled an appointment (now several months later) with a different provider who ordered both a mammogram AND an ultrasound. And you know what? The mammogram didn’t show anything. Zip. Zilch. No lump AT ALL. (Let me remind you again that mammograms are not shown to be effective in young women) Thank goodness for that ultrasound. Less than 3 months after my 27th birthday I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I share this with you because I want you to realize breast cancer can affect ANYONE. And especially if you’re a young woman you need to look out for yourself and be your own healthcare advocate.
Since my diagnosis I’ve done a LOT of reading, and have tried to implement various changes in my lifestyle. I’m not perfect and still have a lot of work to do. But this is my big WHY for establishing Grow Sow Happy. I want to grow more of my own food so I can control HOW it’s been grown, and what it HAS NOT been treated with. I want to increase my healthy vegetable and fruit intake. And I want to encourage you to do the same!
If you’ve thought of growing some of your own food at home I encourage you to give it a try! October is a great time to plant many vegetables and fruits which have been shown to help fight cancer cells, including garlic, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts, onions, spinach and leafy greens, and even perennial plants like blueberries. If you’re interested in starting this fall I have a freebie here with recommendations for many fall crops!
As always, Happy Growing! And not just in October but every month, please check yourself!
References:
Breast Cancer Statistics. CDC.
Breast Cancer Statistics in Young Adults. YSC.
US Breast Cancer Statistics. BreastCancer.org
Is breast cancer on the rise in young women? Utah.edu