In the Pink Ribbon glossy magazine, sold for € 4,99 each, the makers (editors, journalists and other staff etc. are from well-known glossy such as Marie Claire, Elle) work voluntarily. Editorials are the one and only income sources to be able to publish this glossy. The turnover would be donated to Pink Ribbon fund for breast cancer research.
The facts about Breast Cancer (as stated in the Dutch Pink Ribbon Magazine, year after year, to build more awareness):
Breast Cancer is the most type of cancer found in NL
1 out of 8 Dutch Women would get it
Dutch Women will be called on a mandatory mammography at the age of 55 by the Ministry of Health (in the USA this happens on the age of 40).
Men can get breast cancer too
Self check after your period does help to prevent this or to discover a bump in an early stage
Using roll on deodorant will not cause breast cancer
I won't write about the content of this initiative as you all could read it elsewhere (through the link to Wiki I put above for example). I prefer to write about my own experiences with this type of cancer due the presence of cancer gen in my family (of both sides). I underwent two operations (when I was 17 and 21 years old) to remove a suspicous bump on my breast, so did my sister. This is the reason why I stopped smoking. The bump was a benignant tumor though, but still I was scared to death at that time.
Psychologically speaking, breast cancer for women is a very tough disease. It is severe enough to have cancer on your breasts, when they are to be amputated the effect on yourself as a woman would be huge, not to mention the hair lost due to the chemotherapy. After all, sick or not, most women of all ages, love to take care of their body.
I know/knew women around me who survived after some painful & torturing chemotherapy sessions, lost their weight and hair, forced to wear wigs and now their hair grows again. Some didn't survive it, some prefer not the have her breasts amputated risking death to follow against the wil of their husband/boyfriend.
So I dedicate the month October and this post to tante Wiwi (in memoriam), bude Wan (in memoriam), Frank's mother (in memoriam), Marijke, Thea, Sam and other ladies I don't know by name.
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4 comments:
Lorraine, you were so young at that time! Do you have a regular mammogram now due to your history?
Yes, I remember the founder of the office I worked in Jakarta had breast cancer. She's cured, but she looked very thin and tired during the chemo, still she kept on working .. she said it's to keep her spirit high.
*hugs*
Lorraine, my blog buddy, Sima, from Cancer Sucks is a breast cancer survivor. She is a great person online and offline. She has undergone a surgery a few years ago, was declared cured but the cancer came back. Unlike in NL or other rich countries, books about cancer in Indonesian language is very limited. There are not many local publishers who are willing to print the books written by the cancer survivor here because they consider it does not have a selling point. So they have to go to a Christian book publisher or find a small publisher who is willing to publish their book. Sima's blog help me understand more about cancer, particularly breast cancer.
I also have a friend who was recently got breast cancer, luckily it was an early stage an the cancer could be removed without serious damage to the breast but a scar.
It kinda reminds me one thing that we're all having risk to be infected with such a serious disease. You never know!
@ Santi, Thank God my tumor wasn't that severe. No, self check monthly is sufficient for me.
Thanks for the hug :-)
@ El, spread the news there are new methods to decrease the tumor (as the doctors prefer to call it) on condition that it is detected in an early stage. Yes, I've been to Sima's Blog. Thanks for the tip.
@ The Writer, exactly. Cancer seems far away untill people we know suffer from it, then we realize that it could happen to us.
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