Please Get Your Mammogram: An Open Letter From One Breast Haver to Another
It's October, which means that along with all the scary goings on, it's also Breast Cancer Awareness month. And let's be real, cancer can be pretty scary. However, there are things we can do to detect and catch cancer early.
One of those preventative measures is making sure you get your yearly mammogram. I have a few mammograms under my belt, and while not the most comfortable experience, it's certainly a worthwhile one. Peace of mind and your health being at the top of the list of reasons why you should get your mammogram.
You're going to hear a lot about breast cancer this month. You're going to hear a lot about making sure you get checked. And while I don't want to get lost in a sea of other people chiming in to say, "get your mammogram", I'm going to chime in, because this is an issue that affects me directly.
Why You Should Get Your Mammogram
I would like to state right now, to be completely clear: I do not have breast cancer. I am not sick, I am okay.
However, what I do have is a BRCA1 gene mutation.
A little background about my family history with breast cancer... my mom's had it (twice), three of her sisters had it, and one of my cousins. With this extensive history, it prompted me to reach out to cancer specialists to get tested to see if I carried the genetic mutation that predisposes me to breast cancer: the BRCA1 gene.
Read Related: An Open Letter to Those Scared of Getting Their First Mammogram
We all have these genes, two of them actually; BRCA1 and BRCA2. According to the National Cancer Institute, BRCA1 and BRCA2 "are genes that produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA." It just so happens that my gene in that department is a little faulty.
Having a BRCA1 mutation puts me at a very high risk to being diagnosed with cancer. For breast cancer, "more than 60% of women who inherit a harmful change in BRCA1 or BRCA2 will develop breast cancer during their lifetime (2). By contrast, about 13% of women in the general population will develop breast cancer during their lifetime." And for ovarian cancer, "about 39%–58% of women who inherit a harmful change in BRCA1 and 13%–29% of women who inherit a harmful change in BRCA2 will develop ovarian cancer (which includes fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer) during their lifetime (2). By contrast, about 1.1% of women in the general population will develop ovarian cancer during their lifetime."
I'm a young person. At the time I'm writing this, I'm 34 going on 35. It's important to note that my mom found her first lump when she was 38. I remember, because I was sitting at the kitchen table when I heard her scream from the bathroom about finding a lump.
I share this, not to scare you, but to implore you, and better yet, BEG you to get your mammogram. Please. Because you never know how cancer might affect you.
Take care of you and your health!
Breast Cancer by County in Michigan
Gallery Credit: jrwitl
Breast Cancer by County in Michigan
Gallery Credit: jrwitl