By: Joviane Pembele
Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the United States while affecting one in 833 men. There is a 13% risk of developing breast cancer in the United States. Approximately 43,000 women are expected to die at the hands of this cancer in 2021.
There has been a tremendous 8% decrease in deaths since 2013 due to early detection and screenings being made readily available. The BCO source also mentions that breast cancer incidence rates dropped in the early 2000s when a therapy treatment (hormone replacement therapy) was removed in suspicion of not aiding the patients but rather making them worse.
Although the cancer is thought to be a familial deficiency, 85% of women who contract it are the first in their families to develop the genetic mutation.
“I was blindsided because I had no clue that I could get breast cancer” says one 49-year-old patient, “no one in my family has ever had cancer so when I started getting weird feelings in my chest and showing symptoms, I thought maybe— I don’t know. I didn’t want to know what [it] could be.”
Our interviewee, who wishes to remain anonymous, first started showing symptoms in their early 40s and decided to get a screening at 46 to see why their body didn’t seem to be feeling any better as the years passed. “I felt an extremely abnormal feeling in my chest and at first it caught me by surprise because I thought the doctors made a mistake. It wasn’t too noticeable, my chest just felt bigger but hurt a bit. There hadn’t been any family member of mine to ever get the cancer” they say, rekindling memories. “How was I supposed to tell my kids that their mom wasn’t okay and just won’t be okay?”
The interviewee was diagnosed in April of 2018 and was leading a very active life prior to the diagnosis. They mention having three kids, working out regularly, being an active member in funding organizations such as The Boys and Girls Club, being married, and working a normal job “like everybody else.”
“After the diagnosis, everything kind of just stopped.” The healthy employee decided to take a step back, “I was working at the time, I was an English tutor with many degrees up my sleeve. Like everybody else, I didn’t always eat healthy or clean. I went on long walks regularly but not everyday…”
When our interviewee was first diagnosed, they remember not experiencing any symptoms but constantly having nipple discharge and breast pains. Now, they are three years into therapy and have made certain adjustments to their life such as eating clean and working out daily. Although they’ve made changes, the core routines of their life still remains, “At the time, my entire life changed when I realized that I could no longer live in denial but had to become completely healthy and aware.”
Life won’t be as normal as it’s always been but that doesn’t mean that a new normal can’t be born from the new lifestyle. “I thought nothing would ever be the same but now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.” The interviewee still spends time with family and friends, finds time to remain a tutor, and enjoys ice cream on Sunday’s. They focus on the positive and the determination to fight this cancer, “I don’t have forever to live but I’m working on beating this thing— I know I’m not dying in 24 hours, so I cherish every little minute I get.”
Breast cancer isn’t always visible, and symptoms aren’t always blatant. Regularly getting sonograms and routinely checkups are very important for remaining ahead of the cancer. Breast cancer is the enemy, but it doesn’t have to change the flow of daily life.
The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) offers free mammograms, breast exams, pelvic exams and Pap tests to eligible women. Even if a woman has already been diagnosed with cancer, she may receive free treatment if she qualifies.
There is also the IL WISEWOMAN program for those enrolled in IBCCP, which focuses on providing women with access to preventative health services including blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose screenings along with health education through risk reduction counseling, health coaching, lifestyle programs and community-based linkages.
You may be able to receive free services if you are a woman:
- Living in Illinois
- Without insurance
- 35 to 64 years old
*younger women may be eligible in some cases
