One of the things that I have never talked about is when I told my son that I had cancer. I think that was the hardest conversation I had at the time it was happening, more so than telling my parents and friends. When my doctor diagnosed me with breast cancer, I called my ex-wife to tell her the results.…
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A Day in the Life – Stage IV
By: Leah Taylor What you are about to read is my experience from September 25, 2018. It could be quite difficult to read for anyone dealing with breast cancer. It is raw and real. 6:15 a.m. I wake up. The bed leaves me stiff but I am grateful for my son and his family and their extra bed. So, I…
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The Future Doesn’t Feel That Bright
Meet Emma. A Sheffield based blogger with a penchant for gin and craft beer, travelling, snowboarding, sailing and slowing doing up her house. She’s aggressively dog friendly, and also had a brush with Breast Cancer. My fear about this cancer recurrence sneaks up on me, between my flippant Instagram posts and jokes with Drs about replacing my Sternum with Bluetooth…
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Debunking the Myths and Fears of Lymphedema
By: Jenni Rai, PT, CLT When I initially began working with women who had breast cancer, I was often the first person to mention “lymphedema” to them. This was in 2005, and at the time we Physical Therapists and Certified Lymphedema Therapists (at least the ones I worked with) perceived breast surgeons to find lymphedema insulting. A sort of, “I…
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Ugliness of the Pink Ribbon
By Lora Harvey As all the air left my lungs, time stood still on June 15, 2017. And I seemingly forgot how to breathe. Only when my respiratory system took over again did I inhale.In that split second, my life began dismantling. Microscopic cracks at first, but those compound and quickly become unnegotiable divides. I was never the girl that…
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We Belong To One Another
Mia’s bilateral mastectomy was in 2007, and mine was in 2010. Numerous times since then, we’ve both had people say to us, “Can’t you just get over it?”, and other similar comments. We know there are women both in treatment and post-treatment that hear these same words every single day. And we also know words like that can cause a…
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HEALING THE WHOLE WOMAN
One can’t imagine the stigma, loneliness, pain and sometimes embarrassment that comes with cutting off your breasts. Women are “known” for their breasts – after all that’s what makes a woman beautiful and voluptuous, right?! So losing them can be a major blow to one’s heart and soul. There isn’t much, if any, information out there on how to heal…
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THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN PRIOR TO MY MASTECTOMY
A mastectomy, either single or double, is a common treatment for women with breast cancer. I asked some of my friends to contribute to the conversation, and this is the information that many from the breast community wish they had known. 1. I wish I had taken pictures documenting procedure and recovery, and journaled. There’s so much I have forgotten!…
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THE GRACE PROJECT AND HEALING MY SOUL
By: Mia Curtiss A few years back I was asked to participate in “The Grace Project” in Chicago. After a comedy of errors it never happened. God knew far better than me I was by no means ready to pose topless without my breasts. Fast forward two years later the opportunity presents itself again and although I’m extremely uncomfortable…
- BODY POSITIVE, BREAST CANCER, BREAST CANCER AWARENESS, FLAT CLOSURE NOW, FLATTIES UNITE, LIFE AFTER BREAST CANCER, MASTECTOMY, RECLAIMING MY BODY
It Changed Me
I never thought I’d be that girl that would pose topless for photos…..