Tuesday, September 21, 2010

OCTOBER is Breast Cancer awareness month

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has been following me!

I know that I talk about awareness of loads of causes, but it’s because I really care about them.


As some of you may know, October is Breast cancer awareness month.


This is another cause that is close to my heart, as my mother had breast cancer about 6 years ago. She had a mastectomy of the left breast and luckily it was all taken out. This was a very sad and tough time in my families lives. My mother is the youngest of 4 children, and her two older sisters took it very hard. My father was a wreck, but my mother tried to be strong, even after the day at the doctor when she found out she had it she went back to work because she didn’t want to be bored at home.

My mother was lucky that they could get all the cancer by removing the left breast, but there are many women who aren’t as lucky, and even more women who don’t even know about this disease. They’ve never had a mammogram done; they don’t even know what it is!

My mother has a check up every year now to make sure that nothing has returned. I recently went to my gynecologist and asked him about a mammogram, but he said it wasn’t necessary for me (he said I was to young, I’m 25) but he did a thorough check of my breasts and said they feel normal, but I had to call him or come and see him if that ever changes. So I want to urge all of you to check your breasts! Make sure you are not at risk. Even if you think it’s just a swollen gland, make sure! In my mothers’ family they are very prone to having lumps in their breasts, so my mother also thought it was nothing, but when they finally detected it, it was almost too late, she had her mastectomy 3 days afterwards.

If you’re a guy reading this, please make your girlfriend, sister or mother aware of this.

I’ve got a link on my blog that you can follow, and in that way you donate some small amount for people to have mammograms done in rural areas. Also, if you live in South Africa, please visit your FOSCHINI store. They are selling these really cool badges with the pink ribbon on for only R4! The Fairlady with Katy Perry on the cover also has a pink ribbon in it and a website you can check out. If you’re not in SA, go get yourself a great pink ribbon to wear! Not only for October but for every day!!!

Lets all wear our pink ribbons for the pink month of October!

You could also visit this website CANSA

2 comments:

Jeremy said...

I feel were you are coming from. My mother in law has stage 4 breast cancer now and she's not going to make it. They have her with hospice. If she would have had her mammogram maybe it wouldn't have been to late for her. So I believe raising the awareness is extremely important.

Niecole said...

Hi Danielle, thank you so much for your comment. I'll be thinking of you, your mother in law and the rest of your family. The best that can be done for her now is to make her comfortable and to be there for her.

Another thing I want to make young women especially aware of is cervical cancer, as its the disease that kills most women between the ages of 20 and 35. Get your pap smear done yearly, I know it sounds gross, but its better to have it done.

I also think that there are a lot of women you keep putting it off to go for their mammograms because its not the most fun experience in the world, but get it done, and check your own breasts at home regularly.

Thanks again for your comment Danielle. I hope that the time she has left with all of you will be filled with good memories.