In honor of breast cancer awareness month our first blog post will focus on breast health; but first its story time.
I met Teresa in head-start. Yep, that what I said, way back when we were like 4 or five years old. I have always said we were meant to be together because she was enrolled in the afternoon class, and I was in the morning class. According to my mom there was a field trip for the entire group and the bus we were traveling in was involved in an accident. While waiting for another bus to come pick us up, my mom met Teresas mom. That in a nutshell was the beginning of one of the most important relationships of my life.
Fast forward about 29 years, Teresa had just been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer with metastasis to her heart and lungs in April 2011. This was after about a year or so of being told by her primary care doctor that the lump she discovered was a clogged/infected milk duct (she was breastfeeding at the time). At the time of her initial diagnosis, her entire left breast was tumor. Yes, her right she had a "c" cup tumor. She underwent a mastectomy and multiple rounds of chemotherapy/radiation, and over the years she went through recurrence and remission multiple times.
In July 2021 I got a message from Teresa stating very simply "My MRI was very bad, worse than we thought". They had found seven tumors in her brain! Shortly afterwards On October 2nd, she went home to be with the Lord.
I say all of this to drive home the point that breast health is essential to women's health.
-Did you know that: "a woman's risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that approximately 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it" (breastcancer.org).
-Did you know that: "African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer and women of any other racial or ethnic group" (breastcancer.org).
-Did you know that: "Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in the United States for African American and Hispanic women" (breastcancer.org).
-Did you know that: "Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer related death in the United States, following Lung cancer" (breastcancer.org).
With all that being said I want to take this moment to encourage every woman who reads this to be your own advocate concerning breast health. According to the CDC warning signs of breast cancer include:
*A new lump in the breast or underarm.
*Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
*Irritation or dimpling of the breast skin.
*Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
*Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
*Nipple discharge other than breast milk including blood.
*Any change in the size or shape of the breast.
*Pain in any area of the breast.
In conclusion, if you have any of the above symptoms; or if you have questions/concerns about breast health please be seen by a provider as soon as possible.
In Loving Memory of Teresa Michelle Jones
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