Friday, October 28

Quote of the Day:  “What you think about yourself is much more important than what others think of you.”  Marcus Annaeus Seneca

Today the neighborhood friends met at 6 A.M. to walk or jiggy-jog, which is somewhere between a walk and a run, and then off to Einstein’s to celebrate birthdays.   It was a celebration of friends- the entire table was filled with gifts and I couldn’t help but be so grateful for the relationships I have been blessed to forge within this group.  This is an amazingly nurturing group- it’s not exclusive, anyone can join at anytime and there is no back-biting or divisiveness among us.  No one would put up with it so it isn’t allowed to develop.  I’m sure there are times when we look at each other and it seems that it might be greener on another’s patch of grass but mostly, what I have felt, is that we are really happy for someone else’s good fortune.  These friends have taught me what it means to literally have someone wrap their arms around you when a crisis hits.

It’s probably not lost on anyone that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and really I should be so glad that there is so much coverage on the subject and I am but it also feels like breast cancer is so common and widespread.  There was an article in USA today on October 17 entitled “Rate of ‘Preventive’ Mastectomy Rising” that I found interesting.  It says “A small but growing number of young women are choosing this kind of aggressive surgery, called contralateral prophylactic mastectomy.  Women … say the surgery allows them to retake control of a frightening disease.  But the trend has alarmed some doctors, who say such surgeries are unlikely to help the average woman or improve her survival.  And here are some stats “…across the country, the number of breast cancer patients choosing preventive removal of the unaffected breast grew by 10 times from 1998 to 2007… Some doctors worry that young women are undergoing unnecessary surgery. … but women can’t be blamed for choosing aggressive therapy, given that doctors can’t always predict who’s at the greatest risk of dying…”  The article goes on to say:   “We really haven’t made enough progress to give these women enough options… We can say, ‘You are probably going to be fine,’  but we can’t say, ‘You are definitely going to be fine.'”

I can so relate to this fear, because I really considered a bi-lateral mastectomy, before I knew I carried the BRCA 1 gene, even though my left breast was cancer-free.  There is this incredible fear that you will lose your life when you get a breast cancer diagnosis, and in your mind that breast tissue seems dangerous and so if you remove all that tissue, the threat of ever having to go through this again would be gone.   It feels like one thing you might have control over. But it’s really not so.  According to a study by surgeon Katharine Yao, “Only 2.5% of cancer deaths are a result of tumors that develop in the opposite breast…”  So the main point made in the article is this: “Some doctors are concerned that women overestimate the benefits of mastectomies… In truth, if you already have cancer in a breast then “Mastectomy reduces the risk of cancer by 90%, but tumors can still grow back in scar tissue or under the arm…”

Isn’t there great irony in this?  Think of it, cleavage is a big deal! Some women are defined by it.  That’s why millions of women go through augmentation surgery for larger, symmetrical breasts and then millions also deal with the tragic reality that 1 in 8 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.  All the sudden, this breast tissue that women flaunt around becomes toxic and we can’t get it out fast enough.  And then, some of us who develop cancer, have to come to terms with the idea that the femaleness in us is gone and so really who or what are we?

Bounty of gifts at Breakfast