Say Yes To The Breasts

Today kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness month so everyone be aware of my breasts and the breasts of all women you come into contact with this October.

I never had breast cancer and if it's true that God only gives you what you can handle, there is a good chance I never will. I can barely handle the discomfort of the panini maker my breasts are placed in during a mammogram let alone what I have seen women endure as they move through the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. I'm smart enough to recognize that my breasts aren't amongst those the world would miss terribly if they disappeared. I have benefited greatly from the advent of the Wonder Bra and those Angels at Victoria’s Secret really have looked out for me. It's hard enough to look down while showering and see the remnants of the three hurricanes, Luke, Jack and Caroline, that raged across my abdomen in the form of C -Sections. I can't imagine the flood of emotions a woman feels when bandages are removed from the battleground where her breasts once were.

Let's be honest about what breasts are and are not. Some of us augment them, others reduce them. We build them up with $50.00 bras and smush them down with jogging gear. We display them in low-cut dresses and bathing suits and cover them up with turtlenecks and scarves. We use them practically to feed our children and practically yell at our husbands not to touch them when we have PMS. They make us feel feminine and they get in our way. We love them and sometimes hate them. There are all kinds of slang terms for them; hooters, the girls, boobs, fun bags, cans, jugs. I am sure all of these were coined by some man who thought he was hysterical.

If you are a human there is a good chance you have been touched by someone's breasts, you know what I mean. As a niece, I have thrown my aunt's prosthetic breast to her during a 3 am Las Vegas fire drill. As a hospice nurse, I cared for and comforted young and old women in their final days of battle, and as a friend I waited with her as she looked for answers after a questionable mammogram. I watched a friend lose her best childhood comrade to breast cancer and I continue to witness her eyes well up when she recalls a memory of her.

I am fascinated, but not at all surprised, by the resiliency of women who face breast cancer. They remind me of the way firefighters create brotherhoods. Breast cancer survivors and those going through treatment have a way of coming together to support and propel each other on a walk where the first step can be the hardest to take.

So this month when you see pink be reminded of those that fight and win and those who fought and lost. 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. If you are around a crowd right now look to your left then to your right, someone within your line of vision is or will be dealing with breast cancer. For you and those you love, do your monthly exams and step up to the x -ray plate so cancer can't steal second base.

Ta-Ta for now....