It’s October

Its officially October, which means its National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Founded in 1985 by the American Cancer Society,  NBCAM focuses on highlighting the ways ACS “fights breast cancer by helping women get tested to find breast cancer earlier, understand their treatment options, and cope with the physical and emotional side effects of the disease. [They] also fund research to help find better ways to prevent, detect, and treat breast cancer.” And they do cool things like get the Empire State Building lit up pink to bring awareness to the cause (thanks Jess & Kate for the pic!)

In the past I’ve always been aware that October is NBCAM, mostly by supporting others affected by the cause (mostly my friend’s moms) who are participating in fundraisers throughout the month. But obviously, this year has special significance for me. I’ve been thinking about how to best share this new significance with others, how to make this month impactful not just for me and others affected directly by breast cancer, but by those who are more removed from Breast Cancer, people who I hope ALWAYS remain removed from Breast Cancer. So here’s what I’ve got for ways to honor the significance of this month (even if you don’t have Breasts) – by no means is this list all inclusive, but its of particular relevance to me, and pretty simple things for those of you still reading:

1. Monthly Self Exams

• There is some debate about the effectiveness of monthly breast self exams. According to a 2017 US News & World report article, “several studies that showed BSE [Breast Self Exams] did not improve a woman’s breast cancer survival rates called into question the previous 70 years of advice women had received to conduct BSEs monthly. Then, in 2009, both the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force – two organizations that issue guidelines for breast cancer screening protocols in the United States – dropped their blanket recommendations that women conduct monthly BSEs.”
• But here’s the thing – it CAN’T hurt – the worst thing that happens is your physician has you get a Mammogram and it comes back with good news. Also, I’m a believer that body awareness is inherently a good thing. And in my case, my tumor was (and is) MUCH easier to find when I’m standing up, and at my physicians office, they only do the exam while you’re lying down (WHAT’S UP WITH THAT BY THE WAY?? I’m just realizing what utter bullshit that is). So in my case, AT BEST, my physician would have caught my rapidly growing tumor at my monthly exam in February 2019  but instead, since I found it during a monthly exam, by the end of February my tumor will be a shrinky-dinked itty bitty bit (if its still there) and it’s remains will have been surgically removed FOREVER. So yeah, I think monthly exams are worth it.
• So, how do you do a monthly BSE? You follow the instructions! See the graphic below care of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, but a few key notes before you begin:
  • You should do it at the same time of your menstrual cycle each month, the guidance is to do it ~5 days AFTER your period, as many non-cancerous cysts will change shape and size throughout your cycle
  • You should make it a routine (put a reminder in your phone, calendar, a post-it in your bathroom) because “Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.”
  • If you find something weird, I found it helpful to compare Lefty to Righty. If they feel different, you might have found something (this is how I knew something was up with Ralph, and how I continue to confirm that what I’m feeling in Ralph is the tumor and not the other ridges and valleys and texture changes that exist on both sides)
  • If you find a lump, schedule an appointment with your doctor, but don’t panic — 8 out of 10 lumps are not cancerous. For additional peace of mind, call your doctor whenever you have concerns. Don’t feel weird about it, don’t compartmentalize it, GO TO THE DOCTOR (and you can always call me and we can talk about it and then we will CALL THE DOCTOR and schedule an appointment)

2.   Genetic Counseling Testing

• If you have a family history of Breast, Ovarian or Prostate cancer, I HIGHLY recommend you go in for genetic testing to see if you have a genetic predisposition for cancer and if you should take medical or surgical prophylactic actions to reduce your risk of getting cancer. I’m not sure what I would have done if the timing of my cancer journey wasn’t so quick. But I wish I had the choice (and knowing what I know now, I wish I had the option for a path that didn’t involve Chemo!)
• Also, if you’re of Ashkenazi Jewish decent, even without a family history, you might consider Genetic testing regardless. I suspect there will be more and more cases like mine in the coming years (genetic predisposition without family history) as family sizes have gotten smaller and so statistic likelihood of strong family history of specific cancers will be lower, and so they’ll start making genetic testing recommendations based on ancestry and not just family history – so why not do it now while its still unique and cool? Come 2024, everyone is going to be doing it.
• So, how do you do Genetic testing? Talk to your Physician at your next appointment and they can refer you to an in-network genetic counselor who can handle it from there. And if you’re in Minneapolis, I highly recommend the Genetic Counseling team at Piper Cancer Center.
• I don’t recommend doing what I did and starting with 23andMe or other ancestry genetic services that also do medical genetic testing. If it comes back positive you’ll need a medical professional to validate the results anyway, and the resources and info provided by Genetic Counselors are way better.

3. Donate

• If you’re boob-less and/or don’t have a compelling reason to get genetic testing, you can always donate (money or time or time fundraising other people’s money)
• There is an awesome event in Minneapolis at the end of the month called Making Strides with a 5K run and walk to raise money for Breast Cancer activities run by ACS – and there is a group of AMAZING young women who formed a team in my honor and they would be pumped if you decided to donate specifically to the team, and or joined the fun (I’m working hard to be there, but will NOT be running – so you don’t have to run either if you don’t want!)
  • A quick side note: for the last 7 years, I’ve coached the 5/6th grade girls lacrosse team for the St Louis Park Youth Lacrosse Association. These young women are incredibly smart, kind, hardworking, hilarious, athletic mini-adults, they are a boatload of fun, and they are without doubt the best part of Sprinter in Minnesota (the season others call Spring, but here we have snow on the ground through most of it)
• The Making Strides team I mentioned was a creation of the amazing 2018 St Louis Park U12 Spicy Narwhals (they named themselves and learned a lesson in democracy along the way). So, if you would like to donate to Team Ari (they’re clearly more creative with mascot names than 5K team names) you can do so HERE. And if you want to join the run, you can do so by logging in HERE. And if you want to see what lovely, photogenic ladies this year’s team is you can see that above.

Unfortunately this year’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month feels really different than years past

Fortunately I’m finding ways to make it feel like a good different, and would love for you to join me in the “good”