October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Most people do not know about this, and others are simply not bothered. The ones who are aware of Breast Cancer Awareness Month are the ones living with breast cancer or those who know someone who is.
According to the American Cancer Society, "it is the second leading cause of cancer death amongst women, after lung cancer.” The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer is about one in eight during her lifetime, and the chance of dying from it is one in 33 (http://www.cancer.org). Breast cancer does not discriminate; merely being a woman is in itself a risk factor.
Although my maternal aunts have a history of breast cancer, I was told I am not in the high risk category. Though I do not perform regular breast self-examination, I have done so randomly. I discovered a lump in my left breast while on vacation with my family about three months ago. The second my hand felt the solid lump my heart skipped a beat. My hand remained on the lump and I stood staring at it in the mirror. Not only could I feel it, I could see it. Feeling tears on my skin, I came back to reality. I took a deep breath and found the courage to tell my husband. We were at my parents’ home in Maryland. Should I tell them or not? I decided to wait. Hiding this from my children was even worse. I had to keep a happy and smiling face in front of everyone while the lump was on my mind every moment. Positive and strong though I am, nothing could take away the feeling of helplessness.
Upon reaching home, the first thing I did was to visit my doctor. She felt the lump and sent me immediately for a mammogram and an ultrasound. I went with a positive attitude and my faith in prayer carried me through the initial testing phase. After the mammogram, I went for the ultrasound in which they could see the lump clearly. Strangely, palpable and visible as the lump was, the mammogram did not pick it up. The results showed that the cyst was benign. Unfortunately, a week later, upon closer examination of the ultrasound they saw heavy calcification in the left breast compared with my old ultrasound. I was asked to get a Breast MRI done, which is different from Breast Imaging. After going through that torture, waiting for the results was another. Finally, the results gave me the all clear.
This experience was an eye-opener for me for many reasons. I write this
because there are many women like me in our community who have gone through this trauma. I know women with breast cancer and survivors of breast cancer and no words can express how they confront the disease with courage, strength and a smile. For me, it was getting a second lease on life. I urge all women to become familiar with the feel of their breasts and practice self-examination regularly. Keep up with those mammograms, and when in doubt, please tell your doctor. Please do not ignore any symptom, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Lean on family and friends as moral support is essential. I do not know what will happen down the road, but the most important lesson I learnt from this is to value life. I want to live my life to the fullest, appreciate the simpler things in life, be grateful for the things I have, recognize the worth of family, and be thankful to Ahura Mazda for showing me the meaning of true faith.
TENAZ SUNAVALA
Washington, USA