October : The ONE Month We Promote Strangers Grabbing Your Boobs!!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and nothing makes me happier than to see everything around me in pink. (One, because I LOVE pink, and two, because I know that this month, the focus is all on the boobs!) In all seriousness, promoting breast cancer awareness helps aiding in early detection and prevention. According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms.

I have deep respect and admiration for those who are going thru breast cancer treatment, survivors of breast cancer and those who have gotten that call saying that something showed up on their scan and the doctors need to take a closer look. Although I don't have breast cancer, I have been on the other end of that phone call listening to the nurse tell me that they saw something on my mammogram and I need to come back so they can take more detailed scans. In that moment, my heart dropped and my world started spinning. Those of you who know me, know that I am a worrier by nature, so to get this type of call (and especially on a Friday afternoon) was pretty much devastating to me. All of the horrible thoughts ran thru my head and I couldn't focus on anything else.

My next appt was at a women's health center. After I arrived and got checked in, I was called back and asked to remove my shirt and bra and put on one of the robes that they provided. As I sat back there in that inner waiting area, it got very real for me. I looked around at all of these women in here with these same robes on, waiting just like me and realized that although we may look different and come from different walks of life and we were even brought here for different reasons, we all had one thing in common - we were sitting here waiting for our fates to be revealed. Yes, we look like regular everyday women just going about our day and appointments as usual, but we were much more than that, we were fighters, preparing to fight and defeat our individual Unknowns.

For the following two years I had a cluster of cysts that was found monitored and scanned to make sure that it did not grow or change. Every six months I went to the same Women's Health Center and sat surrounded by my fellow fighters in our robes. I felt a kindredness towards each of these women and hoped that they received the positive results they were looking for. I also gained a new found respect for the women who were going thru various treatments and who were in different stages of this journey and also for the survivors who put on their gloves and defeated cancer. My heart went out to those whose lives were lost to this disease and to their loved ones who were trying to put their lives back together without them.

I have been cleared to go back to regular yearly mammograms, but I will never forget my experience at the women's center. I am grateful for the technology and ability to early detect. I also am thankful for all those who push for Breast Cancer Awareness. I truly believe that with early detection and awareness we can save lives.

We wanted to be a part of promoting Breast Cancer Awareness so we decided to "think pink" and offer our "Square Peg" and "WEIRDO" shirts in Pink font and also promote our "Fight Like a Girl" shirt. 10% of our proceeds from these shirts will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Get yours before they are gone! SquarePegApparel.com/shop

They are only here for a limited time!