Talking pink.
Twenty years ago, my family underwent one of the most trying times in our lives - my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was only ten then, so I didn't understand that much. I can remember, however, the time my mom asked me to feel the lump on her left breast. It was hard. It didn't feel normal. Nevertheless, I just thought it was like a flu - just take some medicine and get enough rest and it will go away. But when I saw the distraught look on my mom's face after her biopsy, I realized it was something serious. I would see her crying quietly in a corner. My dad tried to put up a strong facade, but I overheard them talking one night - and they were both crying. I even heard dad say: "Sana ako na lang..." ("I wish it was me instead"). It felt so painful to see them like that. And us, the kids, couldn't do anything. A few days after, she was in the hospital and had a mastectomy. The months after that were quite difficult as well as she underwent chemotherapy. Watching her being nauseous after each session, witnessing her hair fall off and her confidence fading away (losing one of your breasts is no laughing matter especially when you're a female), and seeing the nervous look on her face each time she learned about one of her fellow breast cancer patients passing away... it was very hard to take for a 10-year-old like me. But with large amount of prayers and never-ending support from family and friends, my mother was able to make it through. Now she's cancer-free for 20 years!
October is the month of breast cancer awareness, and the pink ribbon symbolizes it. Coming from a family with history of this disease, I want to raise awareness to my fellow females and hopefully, you can help me spread this message to your mothers, sisters, relatives, and friends. But even though breast cancer is primarily a disease of women, it can also occur in men, so it will be cool if you can share this to your male family members and friends as well.
Though most of the risk factors in developing breast cancer (sex, age, genetics) may be inherent to us, this disease is curable when detected early. And for starters, there is an easy and cheap way to screen it: BREAST SELF EXAMINATION (BSE) The process takes only a few minutes and is not painful. And though it has limitations, there's no harm in making it a habit.
Help me share the word. I almost lost my mother to it. And just last year, my aunt (mom's sister) lost her battle against this enemy. If this post can help prevent even just one person from getting this disease, then I would have done a good job.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.