Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women over their lifetime.
Sit and think for a moment of someone with breast cancer. Do you have a relative- mother, grandmother, aunt, sister? A close friend? A mother at your school? I know there is someone close to you. It is inevitable.
Now sit and think for another moment. When was your last mammogram? Self exam? Yes yes. I know you are too busy. Work, soccer practices, grocery shopping. But when was your last exam? Self exams take a minute after you shower. Couldn’t fit it in? Did you fit a shower in?
Breast cancer is a force to be reckoned with. It cuts across racial, religious, and socioeconomic lines. It doesn’t care if you are a 40 year old white stay at home mom of three or a 55 year old black woman executive.
This is going to start a bunch of blogs focusing on breast cancer. I am a female plastic surgeon. A significant portion of my practice is breast. I lift breasts, make them smaller, make them bigger, make them even. And yes, I reconstruct breasts after they are removed because of breast cancer.
STATS:
In a single year (this data is from the CDC)
- 191,410 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.
- 40,820 women died from breast cancer.
Don’t bury your head in the sand. Your best defense is a strong offense. Go and check out your girls- do a self exam right now.