Time to feel yourself up.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about breasts lately, as I see women in bathing suits my eyes tend to go there, so all I am thinking about is boobs. I am so much like a guy, I spend so much time thinking about vaginas and tits! Too bad for my husband I don’t have the sex drive of a guy!

Anyhoo, my thoughts about boobies bring me to a story I would like to share with you…

This is the story of a girl, a girl very much like me, 32 years old, two little boys, a wonderful husband, and a dog. It was last summer, a summer full of fun with the family, that Michelle’s life changed forever. After a concert, while she was taking a very needed shower, she discovered the pain in her chest was more than soreness from a water fight or picking up her son, she had a lump, a very obvious lump.

Let’s go back, she is 32, don’t want you to miss that?! 32 FREAKING YEARS OLD!

Michelle went immediately to her doctor, and while she tried hard to relax when he told her he thought it was nothing to worry about, he scheduled a mammogram for that week. Please note she went immediately to her doctor after she felt the lump, she did not wait for weeks and months hoping it would disappear! While getting the Mammogram she knew something was terribly wrong when they asked her to wait and then did more angles for the Radiologist. A few days later came the biopsy and then one week later, her worst nightmare coming true. Stage 2, maybe 3, breast cancer with two lumps, not just one. She was devastated. A mother, wife, teacher, daughter and sister, she was living her life safely and healthy when at 32 years old she had to hear those dreaded words, “You have cancer”.

Michelle put her big girl pants on and prepared for 18 weeks of treatment, including weeks of chemo, a mastectomy, radiation, and an eventually a boob job. Months and months of fun! But she did it, and I can say that she is cancer free as of this date! She is happy and healthy, raising two beautiful children and a husband! Please go to her Caringbridge page to read her story.

I need to admit to all of you that I do not like to “claim” I had cervical cancer, because mine was right on the line. My hysterectomy cured me without any chemo or radiation. My “catching” it early was not luck, luck had nothing to do with it, it was me keeping up with my exams. I have HPV and have had it since I was in my mid-twenties, which puts me at a high risk for Pre-cancerous cells. I followed medical advice and scheduled my appointments out months ahead, so I was right on target with my tests. I never missed an exam or waited because I was too busy with my kid, such a bullshit excuse ladies. I want you to understand one thing, breast cancer can be silent just like cervical cancer, hell just like most cancers, but we can be pro-active and give ourselves exams. I want everyone to be like Michelle, if you have a concern don’t wait and be scared of what could happen, get your ass to the doctor and figure it out. You know your body better than anyone, so be your biggest advocate!! It isn’t about luck, it is about you doing your body good, so do the self-breast exams, right fucking now!