THREE weeks ago, a dear friend of mine was booked in to have breast augmentation surgery.
Last week she came home from hospital following a double mastectomy.
A routine breast scan just prior to her planned ‘boob job’ led to the discovery of a lump in one of her breasts.
Many tests later, my friend was told she had aggressive breast cancer.
But the news that should have crushed the mother of two, who is in her 30s, served only to ignite an inner fire.
The battle to save my friend has begun.
And she is leading the charge.
My friend does not want to be named.
But she is more than happy to show her fresh scars to anyone who drops by.
For her, it’s about accepting her new body and staring fear in the face.
For her friends, including me, it’s a warning.
How many of us in our late 30s/early 40s have had a mammogram?
How many of us know what to look for during a breast examination?
My friend didn’t know.
And now she is planning the next few months of her life around chemotherapy sessions.
It’s hard to know how to help.
She doesn’t need flowers or chocolates (even though she loves them).
An amazing group of local school mums have organised a roster so her family is fed and her boys have school lunches.
She has an awesome support network.
She certainly doesn’t need my poor attempts at cooking foisted upon her at this stage.
The only thing I can do for her is to tell her story in the hope it will hit a nerve with women reading this and prompt them to get checked.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian woman.
One in eight of us will have to deal with it.
Thankfully, most will survive.
I know my friend will.
And I know her chances of survival are far greater than they would have been had she not wanted bigger boobs.
Early detection in her case will be her saviour.
It can be the saviour for so many of us.
So get checked.
Do it for yourself and your family and the people who love you.
Do it for my friend.
She wouldn’t want anyone else going through this.
