Breast Cancer Awareness

I found this inspirational video and I thought I would post it as a reminder for all women to perform monthly self examinations. I have to admit that I am guilty of not doing this on a regular basis and I should because I have a strong family history. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 and her mom, my grandmother, was diagnosed in 2007.

Breast Cancer...Have You Been Checked?

October is the official month for Breast Cancer Awareness. I encourage all women over the age of 30 years old to perform breast examinations frequently. When I say frequently I mean at least once a week. It's extremely important that all women perform these self examinations because many women are being diagnosed with this disease that can be treated if detected early enough. If you have not scheduled an appointment with your physician to be checked please do so before the end of the year. I will call my physician this week to schedule an appointment and I will track the progress of my visit on the blog. Stay tuned.

Are You Seeing Pink?

Where does the time go? I can’t believe it’s October already. In a few more weeks I will have to surrender my feet to the isolation of socks and boots. Yuck!!! I guess I should not complain too much because we have been experiencing beautiful warm weather here in the NYC area. Well, October definitely is a month for change. Fashion changes as we transition from summer to fall, the days become shorter and leaves loose their vibrant green hues only to reveal golden shades of yellow, red, orange and brown. But, leaves are not the only thing changing their color. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and things have become very pink.

Breast cancer awareness is a topic near and dear to me. In 1997 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She lost her right breast and underwent six months of chemotherapy and radiation. Last year my grandmother (my mothers mother) was also diagnosed with breast cancer. As women we have been barraged with information about performing self examinations for the early detection of breast cancer. However, two weeks ago I read an article in the NY Times that featured a story about a 33 year old woman with a family history of breast cancer who decided to have a double mastectomy after receiving the results from her genetic testing. This story really hit home for me because this woman has a family history similar to my own and is only a year older than me. Like myself, she is also single and has not started a family. I’m considering taking the test myself.

What would you do?