Did You Know That October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month AND Domestic Violence Awareness Month?

Even at thirty-one years of age, when people mention October, my thoughts typically leap to the falling leaves of autumn, conjuring up vivid memories of Halloween shenanigans...

The trees of the Midwest transform the landscape into brilliant colors, littering the pumpkins people inflate and ignite with lights - or actually buy, old-school style, and put out to be festive - along with ghost stories, hay-rides, haunted houses of all kinds. And, of course, the delightful children dressing up and Trick-or-Treating. I LOVE passing out candy to them! I may never have children, so it brings ME great joy to see the kids all dressed up with their friends or parents, going door-to-door, keeping the Halloween shenanigans I once so delighted in and tradition alive and well! Now, I also rake the leaves out of my AND my neighbors' yards. One day, one leave, and one bag at a time...

So, what does this have to do with Breast Cancer AND Domestic Violence???

When it comes to choosing to write about breast cancer or domestic violence, I had to take a stretch - like Roxy, pictured above - and really think about it. "What do I remember about BOTH, personally?" I thought the other day, as I TRIED to RESEARCH both topics, find a "real" job, mind the household, take care of my older sibling who is far more physically ill than I am, take care of Roxy and Nitty, see my boyfriend for that ONE day a week, serve my local church, check in with my friends - one of whom is an amazing bassist and battling breast cancer herself, who helped INSPIRE this article, and alerted me that it IS Breast Cancer Awareness Month - read the newspaper, which alerted me that it IS ALSO Domestic Violence Awareness Month, NOT have ANOTHER "mental breakdown..." (Again, this is where things get CONTENTIOUS... as I live with mental illness...). I had to take a break myself, like Roxy, stretching in the picture above, and try to NOT burn anymore bridges, so to speak. I sort of did on that particular night, but I REALLY don't mind burning bridges that were never safe to begin with. They need to fall so that no one crosses them while driving, bicycling, walking, motorcycling, goofing around - as youngsters are so WANTON to do - and, I don't know DIES? I wouldn't want that to happen to ANYONE, let alone those adorable children Trick-or-Treating or the elderly who join them while STRUGGLING with Breast Cancer... or ANYONE who struggles in silence with domestic violence...

BACK TO THE WORK THAT NEVER ENDS!

Both topics are MORE than worthy and noble causes to write about, but let me begin with something most people have experience with - CANCER. According to The American Cancer Society, "1 in 3 Americans will be DIAGNOSED with cancer at some point in their lifetimes." If there's supposedly "six degrees of separation", then that statistic alone should alert you to the importance of raising awareness for any and all cancers. It is highly likely you yourself know someone personally who has either died from cancer, is undergoing treatment for it, or - most sadly - is UNAWARE they even HAVE cancer. It doesn't take a former CNA long to remember the basics about what Breast Cancer is, its' risk factors and how to detect and prevent it. Most people AREN'T aware that in a way, aging itself lends to the risk of developing cancer. Like the many bridges I've burnt - and rebuilt, with some success - the sad reality of LIFE is that it ends. Death is a NATURAL part of the life cycle. That's why we have forest fires. Anyway, at the end of the strands of EVERYONE'S DNA - regardless of gender or age - are tiny things called "telomeres". The SHORTENING of these telomeres, found on the tips of the chromosomes of your DNA increase ANY person's risk of developing ANY form of cancer. As you age, telomeres NATURALLY shorten. STRESS alone INCREASES the RATE at which telomeres SHORTEN. Smoking, poor diet, lack of regular exercise, environmental factors, like the AIR we breath and WATER we drink, chemical agents, like drugs and alcohol, and failing to see your primary care physician for routine, THOUROUGH examinations - in addition to your OWN family history and lifestyle choices - ALL INCREASE thethe RISK of inheriting ANY form of cancer, which is simply a proliferation of cellular growth resulting in tumors, which can be MALIGNANT, meaning they can spread, or BENIGN, considered harmless and easily removed surgically. [Anatomy and Physiology 101 and 102]. [Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, 12th ed. Tortora, G., Derrickson, B.]. [Prairie State College]. The American Cancer Society goes on to estimate that CANCER will KILL 608,507 US citizens in 2021, and predicts that 1,898,160 NEW cancer cases will be diagnosed this year... [The American Cancer Society]. [Cancer.org]. [Google].

SO WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT BREAST CANCER AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Well, according to the CDC and NIH - whose statistics are from 2015 to 2017, "The main factors that influence your risk of getting breast cancer include being a woman and getting older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older." The CDC.gov goes on to report, "SOME women will get breast cancer even WITHOUT any other risk factors that THEY know of. Having a risk factor DOES NOT mean you will get the disease, and NOT ALL risk factors have the same effect. Most women have SOME risk factors, but most women do not get breast cancer." [https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/risk_factors.htm]. This ties into what I wrote about above, regarding TELOMERES and WHERE you get your information from. The CDC estimates that approximately 12.9% of women will get breast cancer, whereas The American Cancer Society's estimates it to be about 13%. That ONLY accounts for women, mostly due to the fact that only about 1 male patient out of 100 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. [American Cancer Society]. [Cancer.gov]. [Google]. The American Cancer Society points out, however, that the rates of YOUNGER women "getting" breast cancer remains STEADY. Their website features a chart showing an overall dramatic DECREASE in breast cancer rates for WOMEN... since the 1930's. That being said, I don't know if EITHER of those sources refers to the women or men who are only "DIAGNOSED" with breast cancer. This would screw ALL their data up, given that there are many women AND men who MIGHT have breast cancer, but have not YET been DIAGNOSED for a variety of reasons. For example, they might not be able to get to A DOCTOR TO BEGIN WITH, LACK ADEQUATE HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE, OR ARE... POOR, like myself and older sibling.

YOU'RE NOT POOR!

To be very clear, I SUPPORT raising awareness for Breast Cancer. I personally know many AMAZING, WONDERFUL, and HARDWORKING women who are struggling with it, or are blessed enough to be in REMISSION and SURVIVORS of it. But what about the men? What about the many people who DON'T have the same access to TREATMENT for Breast Cancer? What about the people like myself, that KNOW they have pre-cancerous cells in their cervix, that their deceased mother had a hysterectomy, and CAN'T access their healthcare providers that HAVE all their personal data on file - or should - due to emergency circumstances, like COVID-19? What about the men and women of color who live in POVERTY in "DANGEROUS" neighborhoods, where their CHILDREN have to dodge BULLETS just trying to get to school - if school is even in session? What about the WOMEN that live in RURAL communities and can't easily ACCESS ANY kind of healthcare providers due to transportation issues, religious issues, in addition to financial issues and lack of information? The CDC, NIH, and American Cancer Society have excellent information but CANNOT account for that data. While we SHOULD be continuing to raise awareness about Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence - issues that plague FAR too many women, men AND children all across the world - but ALSO about the LACK of healthcare resources and coverage available to them, regardless of WHERE they happen to live.

The reasons WHY people DON'T get the PREVENTATIVE healthcare they need, for themselves AND their children, are VAST. Some people, like myself, are just YOUNG, DUMB and/or mentally ill. Others WAIT to access their local healthcare resources for a variety of reasons I CAN'T speak of. As a former CNA, I was TRAINED to FEEL what a lump in a patient's breast feels like. That was in 2009. In college, they handed me a fake rubber breast, and I could feel what FELT like a hard, tiny marble inside it. That was it. THEN the RN's - or nurses - and PHYSICIANS would take over.

According to The National Foundation for Cancer Research - thank you, USPS - starting at age 20, every month WOMEN should perform a self-breast examination. They should be AWARE of what their breasts NORMALLY feel like. (No, do NOT go to a bar and let some idiot perform a "free" Breast Exam on you. I don't know why I feel like I must state that, but apparently, some people still fall for THAT "trick". It's not a treat by any means to have a drunken stranger grope you. That's a form of ABUSE, which I AM getting to...) The NFCR goes on to write that women should be AWARE of the tenderness, firmness, tissue texture, and temperature of their breasts. Are your breasts smooth or lumpy? Are they abnormally warm or hot to the touch? The NFCR goes on to instruct women to lie on their backs, a pillow beneath one shoulder, and to LIFT the pillow-side arm behind your head. They should then use the PADS of their THREE middle fingers on their OPPOSITE hand, starting on the FAR side of that breast, and to GENTLY RUB the breast in small circles, keeping the fingers FLAT as they MOVE. Women should apply enough pressure to feel the breast tissue THOROUGHLY - both the SHALLOW tissue BENEATH your epithelial (skin) cells, AND the DEEPER tissue CLOSER to the breast bone. With your three fingers kept FLAT and in CONTACT with the breast. WORK IN CIRCLES, UP AND DOWN, MOVING ACROSS THE ENTIRE BREAST, AS WELL AS YOUR UNDERARM (or axillary region). Repeat this on the other breast, of course. Women should then stand in front of a mirror and VISUALLY examine their breasts. The NFCR brochure instructs women to extend their arms ABOVE their heads, then OUTWARDS, towards their sides. Then, we are to place our hands on our hips, and slowly bend FORWARD. (Much like the Yoga I do in the mornings with Nitty...) and LOOK for any changes, swelling, discoloration, dimpling or puckering. You are then instructed to CALL YOUR DOCTOR if you notice any changes. [National Foundation For Cancer Research]. [www.NFCR.com]. [1-800-321-CURE].

WHAT ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?