Health

Does Breast Cancer Awareness Month Hurt Women?

 Health  No Responses »
Oct 042011
 

Here’s a post I wrote last year that got some people talking. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Ask the person next to you what they believe to be is the #1 killer among women in the U.S. and you’re likely to hear “breast cancer.” And why wouldn’t you? It’s not a bad guess given the amount of attention it gets.  Come on, what other disease can boast an entire month dedicated to its awareness? And it practically owns the color pink! From chip clips to M&Ms… KFC fried chicken buckets…even Mike’s Hard Lemonade goes pink for breast cancer, served up with a slice of irony. Promoting breast cancer awareness with your sugary, greasy, salty or alcoholic product; the very same bad choices said to increase the risk of breast cancer? Odd, me thinks.

But across the board, breast cancer is not the largest killer of women, heart disease is, taking more lives from women than any other disease. And guess what? Often times, it can be prevented.  But how? According to the CDC, almost two-thirds of the women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. But they do have risk factors. How many of us are aware of those? And what about lung cancer? With the exception of Hispanic women, lung cancer kills more women every year. When’s the last time you rocked the blinged-out lung cancer bracelet?

It seems every October, breast cancer gets even more attention than the year prior, I’m extremely grateful for that. It’s because of breast cancer awareness that I discovered I share the same genetic mutation that killed my 39-year-old mother. Breast cancer awareness provided me with an opportunity to be informed and empowered as the doctor explained the lump they had found in my breast. And without breast cancer awareness, I may not have received the tremendous amount of support and understanding from my friends, family and community as I underwent a double mastectomy four years ago. It’s because of breast cancer awareness that I am alive and well and writing this today.

But I can’t help but wonder if it hasn’t gone too far. Even the NFL was breast cancer aware over the weekend. 300 pound linebackers adorned in pink as they pummeled each other into the ground. You don’t see that for heart disease or lung cancer. Is it because sex sells and breasts are seen as provocative?  It’s not like you’d ever see a guy blow the mortgage money to watch a woman shake her heart, that’s for sure.  And speaking of dudes, where’s their awareness? More men than women are diagnosed with cancer every year but not once have I ever been knocked out by a sea of blue prostate awareness ribbons.

When it comes to breast cancer, with awareness comes controversy. Between greeting cards that talk about b*tch slapping cancer to provocative PSAs, some women argue that breast cancer awareness has stepped over the line into offensive territory. And schools absolutely agree, more and more across the country are banning rubber bracelets using the term “boobies” to support breast cancer. Understandable to me considering most kids wear them to draw attention to themselves, not the disease.

And back to the products. What a brilliant way for a company to make a buck, right? Turn your product pink and watch it fly off the shelves. I’d love to see the October sales numbers for those pink pretzel bags prominently displayed at the front of the store all month long. I bet most who grab a bag don’t even buy pretzels the rest of the year. And unless you’ve got time to research each individual company, we have no idea where the money from sales actually benefits anyone, our hard-earned cash could be going right into the pockets of a unethical and greedy business.

The amount of exposure breast cancer has gotten is a prime example of what the medical community, businesses and communities alike can do when we set our minds to something. In awareness lies incredible strides in prevention and early detection, saving more lives every year. While I can appreciate limited-time kitchen appliances, I think I will take this month to help educate and empower women to be aware and pro-active in the care of their own bodies.  Maybe even while I sip my pink tea.

Tatt2: What Would You Do to Save the Tatas?

 Health  1 Response »
Mar 272011
 

A mother’s love is like no other. But the moms I am most in awe of are those who embrace their children for their own unique selves. No, I don’t mean like this woman who actually drove the getaway car for her delinquent son…I mean, I love my kids but come on.

I mean moms like my friend Tami. While I wasn’t there during her motherhood journey and have no idea whether she experienced freak outs over things like piercings, blue hair or that first tattoo (all things I actually think I’m okay with, at some point and to some degree)… it’s her love for her son and his creativity that has come back in the most heartwarming way.

TAT FLIER

Chase has created a one-of-a-kind event to support his mom, who has just completed treatment chemo and radiation for breast cancer. For just a 20 dollar donation, a local tattoo shop has offered to donate their time and skills and tattoo those brave enough with a 1.5 inch breast cancer awareness ribbon. (PS You don’t have to get the tattoo – you can just donate 20 bucks at the event or even send it in.)

Tami, who lives by the motto ‘real men wear pink,’ has been overwhelmed by the support of friends and family, but none more passionate than her own husband and two sons, all planning to honor the woman in their life by getting their tattoos for tatas. But Tami’s family is also shedding light on the many men who suffer from breast cancer, and are also raising money in honor of Tami’s father, who passed away from breast cancer.

“I am so proud of my son and what he is doing and hope that it will be a day to remember forever. We are most passionate about getting the word out to men that they, too, can get breast cancer!  We don’t want to lose another one of the precious men in our lives to this disease.”

For more info, check out the Tattoos for Tatas page on Facebook.

It’s because of Tami, Chase and their entire family that I’ve learned lesson #13. Embracing those you love for who they is the only way to go.

Turning 40? No Big Whoop.

 Health  1 Response »
Mar 182011
 

People keep telling me how turning 40 doesn’t change anything.

Can someone tell that to the insurance company? Since renewal comes up weeks after the big 4-0, the same plan will run us an additional 17%.

Damn. Getting old sounds expensive. 

An Open Letter to My Breasts…

 Health  No Responses »
Mar 162011
 

Five years ago, I hated you. I couldn’t wait to get rid of you and never, ever look back. You had betrayed me. You betrayed my whole family.

I stood there, exposing you for who you were, as the doctor ran a marker over you and explained where he’d cut right into you, taking you off my body. The lump you created would be sent to pathology and the remaining tissue, instead of destroying it (and how I wanted you destroyed), would be donated to research, and maybe even help someone else on the same path one day, betrayed by her own breasts.

I remember glancing at you with disgust that day, you looked so pathetic. You too-closely resembled tube socks filled with sand after breastfeeding two babies. I couldn’t help but think back to the days before kids when I really loved you and actually considered you one of my better physical assets. Now, not only were you ugly, you were trying to tear me down.

I’m so sorry. Because of my anger and fear, I never even said goodbye. I was so caught up in the chaos of the situation — one minute, I was having blood drawn to see if I carried the same genetic mutation my mom had… the next, I was having an MRI just to be safe. It was only two weeks later, five years ago on this very date, I was being wheeled into surgery to have you replaced with a less realistic replica. With two kids and a husband to fight for, I never even had the chance to stop and mourn your loss.

And a great loss, you were. Because it was you who nourished my boys, working to provide them with what they needed every three hours, even while the rest of me dozed off. It was you who taught me some tough lessons about men, that even though some may have been interested in you, it didn’t mean they were truly interested in me. I can hardly remember a time before you, you were like the one constant that grew up with me — literally — and even got bigger when I’d gain weight, smaller when I’d lose it again. You were fun to dress up and take on the town — you even got me to the front of the line once or twice.

But you’re gone now.

I don’t mean to hurt your feelings but I really don’t think of you the other 364 days of the year. Because not only did losing you also rid me of the fear that I would lose the breast cancer battle in my 30‘s, like my mom did, I was also given a new appreciation for life — and myself. It’s true, I sometimes look at my body, what I call the human pin cushion, with frustration and disappointment (I am a girl, you know), but sacrificing you has given me more than it could ever take away. I’m empowered to make tough decisions, confident that I’m strong enough to handle almost anything and actually feel more womanly than ever before — something I think all women should have in their lives.

But after five years apart, I will admit that your replacement still doesn’t (and probably never will) feel as close to me as you did. But they’re perky, allow me to explore new clothing styles and have promised me that I’ll never, ever require duct tape to keep them from flopping around while working out.

If I never write you again, please understand. It’s not that I don’t love and appreciate all you’ve done for me, but it’s time to move on to a new chapter of my story, one that involves love, laughter, health and happiness — something I could never have achieved without my experience with you.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for that.

For more of my story, click here.
For more on the risk of genetic cancers, visit facingourrisk.org.

 

Spinning Out of My Comfort Zone

 Health  No Responses »
Mar 142011
 

With only 19 days til I hit the big 4-0, one thing I’m working on each day is pushing myself to try something a wee bit out of my comfort zone.

So today, I hit the gym and took a spinning class with my girlfriends, something that has intimidated me since the last time I took a class over seven years ago… and vomited. I won’t even get into how I refused to take the class again until I was done having children. Seriously, you can put a man on the moon but you can’t invent a cycle seat that doesn’t feel like you’re giving birth?

While I’d like to think I looked like this…

I think I probably looked a little more like this…

I may not have been the fastest, and I even had to sit down a few times while the rest of the class was standing up to pedal, but I stayed for the whole hour and never stopped moving — logging 23 miles and burning over 350 calories. So I’d say mission accomplished. Yay, me.

What have you done today to flex those out-of-the-comfort-zone muscles?

 

Does Motherhood Do a Body Good?

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Mar 102011
 
“Youth is wasted on the young.”
The first time I heard those words (originally said by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw), it sounded like just one of those old people sayings, repeated by those mourning the loss of their youth.
Little did I know, the next two decades would zip by in a flash and that saying would eventually make so much sense. 
Take body image, for example. 

In a recent survey by Glamour magazine, 97% of  “young women” (whatever that means) admitted that they not only have major issues when it comes to how they see their own bodies, but are also subject to brutal verbal abuse about their appearance several times a day. The saddest part, it’s they, themselves, doing the abusing. 
The good news: As I did a little more digging, I found that the older we get – sometimes facing huge physical hurdles –  the more the negative self-talk subsides and is taken over by acceptance and, dare I say it, love and respect for ourselves.
I’m no stranger to that metamorphosis. In my 20s, I struggled big time when it came to body image. I would spend hours going through my closet, never happy with what I’d put on. I refused to ever wear things like shorts – oh no, I’m not showing those knees! I constantly compared myself to my tiny friends and never felt like I measured up physically. 
In my 30s, my body began to mean something totally different. I had two boys via c-section (one at a whopping 11 pounds) and had a health scare. In fact it was five years ago this week that I underwent a double mastectomy, the first of two surgeries that year. And while my big babies stretched my tummy to an unrecognizable state and my surgeries forever changed how I look, I discovered that the more I experienced, the better I felt about myself. I’m still shocked to admit that I am proud of all my body has handled – I am a warrior. A few extra pounds could never take that away. 
In an unofficial online poll, I asked women to rate their body image from 1-5, with 5 being the most positive. Natalie, a 29-year-old mom, admits that “before having a baby and nursing [body image was a] 2. Post pregnancy and nursing — 4.” While she says she “should lose some weight,” she also celebrates her physical self by adding, ” My body has done me well.” Interestingly enough, her 22-year-old friend merely gives herself a 2.5.
Tertia, 42, who rates her body image as a 4 out of 5, says that high rating is something she would never do when younger. “Even though I was in better shape, I thought less of myself — too much angst. Getting older is great. I like me.”
Karena takes pride in her career as a nutrition and fitness expert — and she should. Because not only is she the author of Osteo Pilates and host of Pilates for Healthy Bodies, she also travels the world teaching and connecting with women who want to achieve health and wellness at any age. But Karena’s no stranger to body battles, her fight with bulimia and anorexia began at a young age, even contributing to a heart attack when she was just 19 years old.
But while she may feel a few more aches and pains as the years pass, Karena, too, embraces her outer strength, along with the inner. “I think body image has improved with age for me. But as far as my body being a traitor — pain issues for me primarily –  I’m always looking at it like a cheating husband, like when is the next shoe going to drop.”
And maybe it’s exactly that attitude that makes the rest of us women accept a lump here or some flab there. Is it that we now have appreciation for all our body has done and gone through? Or maybe we just realize we have bigger fish to fry bake, and now look at healthy eating and exercise as a gateway to optimum health and not just to fit into those skinny jeans. And with that pressure off, maybe now we’ll begin a love affair Brussels spouts and boot camp.
A girl can dream, right?

The Chuck It List

 Health, Self  1 Response »
Feb 202011
 

You’ve all heard of the Bucket List, made famous by some actors that used to be insanely respected. According to IMDB, the movie is about two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward (who knew one had to “escape”?) and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.

Back in 2001, I had a similar list. Before I turned 30, I wanted to live on the edge a little. I made decisions that were normally a bit out of my comfort zone, took my little sister on a quick cruise to Mexico and treated my brother to a sky diving excursion, which was made that much more incredible (and terrifying) by the breathtaking view of gorgeous green broccoli-like trees on the way down.

Now in 2011, my lists have been tweaked a bit. There’s really only one thing on my list to do before I’m 40, something I will share very soon. But for the most part, I’m more interested in recognizing the things in my life that make me feel super happy inside (look for my Top 40 list coming out February 21) and working on making positive changes in order to create that same feeling in other areas.

I’ll first work on what I want to remove from my life before I turn 40.

THE CHUCK IT LIST

Making Chex Treats (think Rice Krispies but with Corn Chex) under the ruse of doing it for the kids.

Eating said Chex Treats for breakfast, convincing myself it’s like having a bowl of cereal.

Getting dressed to exercise, only to end up out of shape and unshowered at the end of the day.

Feeling guilty for taking time to exercise, instead working, performing tasks or doing household chores while the kids are at school.

Spending a fortune on the search for jeans that don’t zip up to my arm pits or show off my goods when sitting.

Saying “yes” to things I know are spreading me way too thin and making me less productive.

Random hairs on my chin.

Spending time / energy on things and people that don’t positively affect my family, including myself.

Expectations of other people.

Cutting my own bangs and/or eyebrows between appointments.

Stressing over small stuff.

Forgetting what’s really important.

Taking life too seriously.

Using “working from home” as an excuse to avoid a shower, razor and hair brush.

Impatience.

Buying “motivation” clothes.

Beating myself up when motivation clothes don’t fit.

Not spending enough time with my friends.

Losing my car in a sea of silver minivans.

Negative self-talk.

Frowning.

Letting fear get in the way.

What’s on your “Chuck It List”?

   

Pardon My (Dis)Appearance

 Health  No Responses »
Dec 092009
 

Remember those stones from a few weeks ago? Tomorrow, they’ll be removed from by body — along with my gallbladder — by who I can only imagine is a Luke Skywalker-channeling, saber-toting surgeon who uses boring surgeries like mine to brush up on his Star Wars skills. I told you he’s young and cute… he’s probably still into Star Wars, right?

Anyway, so my lying around in bed for a day or so could do one of two things: A. actually force me to do the one thing I’ve avoided over the past few years — rest… or B. make me crazy and force me to blog all the craziness that I’ve been meaning to tell you about over the past couple of months.

It’s anybody’s guess, wouldn’t you say?

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