I flipped and flopped about whether to put this diary up here but I decided that off-topic or not, if I help one person in my community here at dailykos, it will be worth it.
Ten years ago I gave up smoking as the final gift to my dad who was dying of colon cancer that had metastasized to his liver. His family had no history of cancer and he wasn't the type of guy who went to doctors or checked himself in any way. I think if he had, he'd still be with us today. Me, I'm different, I'm always trying to head things off at the pass. I quit smoking to head off lung cancer and I do the colonscopy shuffle every five years.
Last year, my brother had a massive heart attack, just a week before his 50th birthday. Again, no family history here. So I ran to the doctor and had them do the treadmill test with the isotope, et cetera, et cetera... (sorry - just saw the King and I)
All my tests came back clean, even my mammogram in December. But in March I found a lump in my right breast. You always wonder what it will feel like but when you find one, you know. Just know that it's different from anything else you've felt. My radiologist congratulated me on finding it - I thought he was going to jump up and down he was so excited. He said it would have had to have been so much larger before it would have shown up on the mammogram. Next week I meet my surgeon, will get referred to an oncologist and begin the journey of healing.
Why am I telling you this story? I work for a non-profit hospice and I'm lucky to be surrounded by people who know cancer. One of our doctors found out I was positive for breast cancer and was trying to give me some insight about it. I was amazed to hear that 1 in 7 women will get breast cancer - think about that - 1 in 7.
And cancer is indiscriminate. There is no age, race, color or creed that can't be affected. And you know what else, gender doesn't make a difference either. Men get breast cancer too.
The big deal for me is that I caught it so early. Since then I have spoken to many of my friends and co-workers, and I have found that there are too many women who are not doing breast self-exams. I'm not the only one who had a clean mammogram and found a lump- it happens a lot. I'm telling you my story to encourage you to do breast self-exams - early detection is the key!
For those of you who wonder what you're looking for, I'll remind you to look for anything that is different from anything you've felt before. Here's a website with information you can use breastcancer.org
Please honor yourselves by checking your breasts and tell your sisters, mothers, daughters and wives to do it too - because you love them, because you want them to be a survivor if it happens to them.