Beautiful work by Peniel_enchill

Yeah, I’m talking to you, yes you, check ya boobs. I know this is a pretty awkward way to start the new month (by the way HAPPY NEW MONTH DARLINGS), plus some of you would be wondering if I just woke up from a long slumber; cause by now everyone almost everyone knows that last month, October was the World’s breast cancer awareness month, so this post would have made more sense last month. Yeah I know and the truth is I wasn’t sleeping at all, I was very aware of the breast cancer awareness movement, I was even supposed to wear the pink shirt and run round Lagos and yes I was also supposed to put up a post on that but I just didn’t know where to start from. I read and heard so many sad stories of people that lost their loved ones to this monster ‘cancer’ and it’s really disheartening. You know this awareness thingy should not be for a month only, it should be everyday because people die of cancer every day. It’s high time we stopped spiritualizing things and do the needful. The best cure for cancer is early detection. So back to the topic, check ya boobs. As a lady when was the last time you did self breast examination? My dear sister in Christ, there is nothing is be ashamed of here, those boobs are yours and it’s your responsibility for it to be healthy. Examining your boobs with the right motive is not lesbianism or whatever; I just need to make that clear.

I’d be a little personal in this post. First, I’d share an event I encountered, and then I’d share my personal experience.

Few years back I was at a camp meeting with my family, a young woman probably in her late twenties or early thirties was brought to the room I and my sisters lodged to pass the night with us. The room was a 6 man room or so. This young woman was in pain, in tears and agony, and then we found out that she had breast cancer. The cancer had eaten up one of her breasts and was spreading to the other one and its environs. She was filled with scars, her head was shaven, and she smelled. Some of the women had to leave the room with their children because they couldn’t stand the sight. At night, this woman could not sleep, she was crying, she took her drugs but the pain won’t just go and yeah I couldn’t sleep too, how could I. Then she started telling us how it started and all that, I was close to tears but I had to stay strong and console the woman. The next morning, her handsome young husband came with their little maybe 2 years old daughter and I was just broken. Imagine a man watch the love of his life go through so much pain or a little girl watch her momma wail and cry. It’s not a funny experience.

Now I’d talk about me. Since I was a teenager, since I can remember or rather since I started maturing and growing boobs I had noticed this lump in my right breast. I didn’t know anything about breast examination; I was just a naïve teenager exploring her body innocently (I’ve always loved human anatomy and all that good stuff). When I first noticed it, I ignored it. After months and years I’d check again and alas it was still there, not moving, not increasing or decreasing in size, it was just there. At a point I became scared, then I heard about breast cancer and how breast lumps could lead to cancer, then I became more scared but I kept it to myself. In my first year in the university, I saw a scar on my big sister roommate’s breast and I asked her what happened to her there, then she said she had a lumpectomy surgery (removal of lumps from the breast). So I summoned courage and told her about mine and she advised me to take it off to be on a safer side. I just said ok and let it pass. In my second year, I had to do a complete medical screening that involved breast examination. After examination, the doctor confirmed that I had a lump and referred me to LUTH (Lagos University Teaching Hospital) for a proper scan and surgery. I did the scan but I didn’t have courage to do a surgery, I was scared.

Fast forward to last year. The fact that I was scared didn’t make the lump disappear, in fact I fasted and prayed because of it but it was still there. At some point I was using faith to say that the lump had gone whenever I was asked but I could not deceive myself, I still felt the lump. So late last year stroke this year, I decided to be sincere with myself and do the right thing. I did research, asked questions and started looking for good gynecologists in Lagos. I found one early this year, booked appointments with the doctor and did thorough examination. After the examination, my doctor discovered that I had a lump not just on one breast but on both of them, scary right?? Then I went for a scan which showed that I had not just one lump but two lumps on both breasts, more scary right???
I told my parents and booked a day for the surgery ASAP. After the surgery, my doctor came into my room in the hospital to show me and my family the lumps and my dear they were not less than five in all. So I was harboring all of that in my tiny body. The lumps where examined and the result showed that they were not cancerous, can I hear a HALLELUYAH there? AMEN.

Those lumps were not cancerous but they could become cancerous so it was better to take them out.
Last month I did a post surgery scan and it showed I didn’t have any lumps again. Yeah, I’m excited and very happy right now but I see and feel my scars each day (mind you, they are so beautiful) but these scars remind me that there is a young lady out there that need to be reminded to check her boobs.

For me, each day is breast cancer awareness day. Remember, early detection is the best cure for breast cancer. Save a life, share this post.

Please follow Cancer Awareness Nigeria for more details.