MBC
Today I am grateful for the warmer weather and the hope of spring. I am also grateful for my continuing health, a profound gift I try not to take for granted.
MBC. Metastatic breast cancer. The breast cancer that kills. Cancer that stays in the breast isn't deadly. Cancer that spreads from the breast, or metastasizes, to places like the lungs, liver, brain, and bones, kills 40,000 women and hundreds of men each year. Yet, it remains a mystery, is seriously underfunded when it comes to research dollars, and doesn't have an awareness level it should compared to all the other breast cancer "awareness" that is out there.
MBC. I have a healthy fear of it and that fear will be with me as long as I live. It is not a consuming or paralyzing fear, but it lurks. I think of my sisters Zita and Mary Jo, my friends Jenny, Sheila, and Sara, and many, many others. We have all had breast cancer. We are all here today. We are all very fortunate. But none of us is cured. MBC can strike at anytime and can strike someone who initially had a diagnosis of early stage breast cancer. For that reason, I try to do what I can for my health and I try to pay attention to my body. I am also grateful for tamoxifen, a proven medication that can reduce chances of recurrence.
The pink ribbon frenzy of recent Octobers has done very little for those with MBC. Arguably, it's done far less for the overall breast cancer movement than it would seem. So we need to keep talking about MBC and being more mindful of what we purchase and where we donate.
Those with MBC face a very grim prognosis. Those who write about their own experience living, and dying, with MBC are a different kind of courageous. One such writer is Lisa Bonchek Adams. She was diagnosed with MBC in October of 2012. Her blog, http://lisabadams.com/blog/, is written powerfully, poignantly, and tells the nitty gritty truth, the truth of a devastating disease.
I originally posted this and within minutes saw the news that Lisa Bonchek Adams died yesterday. I did not know Lisa personally, but my sincere condolences to her family and friends. Her writing touched so many lives. Rest in peace Lisa.
There is also Laurie Becklund, who died just recently of MBC. She died on February 8. Her essay, written over the last months of her life, was published in the L.A. Times on February 20. You can read it here. You can also read it on Pink Ribbon Blues, a blog written by Dr. Gayle Sulik and where I have written some guest posts. Dr. Sulik's book, also called Pink Ribbon Blues was a pivotal read for me back in 2011.
When it comes down to it, cancer or no cancer, each day is a gift. Treat it as such.
MBC. Metastatic breast cancer. The breast cancer that kills. Cancer that stays in the breast isn't deadly. Cancer that spreads from the breast, or metastasizes, to places like the lungs, liver, brain, and bones, kills 40,000 women and hundreds of men each year. Yet, it remains a mystery, is seriously underfunded when it comes to research dollars, and doesn't have an awareness level it should compared to all the other breast cancer "awareness" that is out there.
MBC. I have a healthy fear of it and that fear will be with me as long as I live. It is not a consuming or paralyzing fear, but it lurks. I think of my sisters Zita and Mary Jo, my friends Jenny, Sheila, and Sara, and many, many others. We have all had breast cancer. We are all here today. We are all very fortunate. But none of us is cured. MBC can strike at anytime and can strike someone who initially had a diagnosis of early stage breast cancer. For that reason, I try to do what I can for my health and I try to pay attention to my body. I am also grateful for tamoxifen, a proven medication that can reduce chances of recurrence.
The pink ribbon frenzy of recent Octobers has done very little for those with MBC. Arguably, it's done far less for the overall breast cancer movement than it would seem. So we need to keep talking about MBC and being more mindful of what we purchase and where we donate.
Those with MBC face a very grim prognosis. Those who write about their own experience living, and dying, with MBC are a different kind of courageous. One such writer is Lisa Bonchek Adams. She was diagnosed with MBC in October of 2012. Her blog, http://lisabadams.com/blog/, is written powerfully, poignantly, and tells the nitty gritty truth, the truth of a devastating disease.
I originally posted this and within minutes saw the news that Lisa Bonchek Adams died yesterday. I did not know Lisa personally, but my sincere condolences to her family and friends. Her writing touched so many lives. Rest in peace Lisa.
There is also Laurie Becklund, who died just recently of MBC. She died on February 8. Her essay, written over the last months of her life, was published in the L.A. Times on February 20. You can read it here. You can also read it on Pink Ribbon Blues, a blog written by Dr. Gayle Sulik and where I have written some guest posts. Dr. Sulik's book, also called Pink Ribbon Blues was a pivotal read for me back in 2011.
When it comes down to it, cancer or no cancer, each day is a gift. Treat it as such.
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