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Let Me Tell You About My Breast Friends

Posted on September 1, 2011 12:00 am by teawithfrodo

Hi, I’m Irene. I’m 32 and I’m planning on having a Bi-Lateral Mastectomy. No, I don’t have Cancer at least not yet. I’m what you call a “Previvor”. I have the BRCA 2 mutation that leaves me with an 84% chance of having Breast Cancer by the time I’m 70. Both my mother and her birth mother had Breast Cancer. Sadly her birth mother died at 36 after losing her fight. I don’t plan on succumbing to the same fate.

Why would anyone want to cut off their breasts if they don’t have to?

First off, I don’t want to do it. I do however feel that I need to do it. I know it seems extreme to many people but when I look at my percentage I can’t ignore it. Think of it this way: if you were told that when you went outside today you had an 84% chance of being hit by a bus would you want to go outside? Probably not.

I look at my son and I know I want to be there to watch him grow up. I don’t want take a chance with my life.

Aren’t you scared?

Yes, I’m pooping my pants about it. I was supposed to be having my surgery this fall but my husband was laid off and our current state insurance won’t cover it. Now I have to wait even longer to get it done. It’s bad enough having to go to the plastic surgeon with pictures of boobs (yes, I did go with pictures of what I want my new boobs to look like) and get measured and look at pictures of what I’ll look like post surgery. I wanted the main surgery to be over with and I am a little scared that it is not put off until my husband finds a new job.

I worry about how I’m going to look. Am I going to hate them? Is my husband going to hate them? Are people going to look at me and point at my fake boobs? How will my son react to them?

I’m high risk but I don’t want to have the surgery…

It isn’t for everyone. It’s a hard decision to come to and not one that I came to lightly. I’m lucky to have the support of my husband and family. I also have a great breast specialist who even before my genetic testing had me go for annual mammograms. If you know you’re at risk take action, that doesn’t always mean surgery. Go for regular exams and make sure to do self exams.

Thinking I was alone was the hardest part for me but I found out I’m not alone. There are so many people who have the same condition and have documented their choice. I remember it being so rough when my brother told me I was being a drama queen, and then he did a search and found women 10 years younger than me choosing the same surgery.

I’m not alone and the support I’ve found from both doctors and other “Previvors” has been amazing. I’ve chosen to be proactive and not let the disease defeat me.

For more information on the BRCA 1 and 2 mutations check out:

Bright Pink

Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE)

Update January 5, 2013 from TheAngelForever:

Since Irene wrote this post, a lot has changed. She moved with her family, became the coordinator for the Memphis FORCE group, and scheduled her surgery. The date is this week when she will have a bilateral mastectomy and start reconstruction. She will have expanders that will be filled each week until she reaches the desired size to have implants. On her personal blog, Irene has written about coming to terms with her femininity before her surgery date. Once Irene is feeling better I will update again. Wishing her the best of luck as she moves forward with being a Previvor.

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The Crafting Hobbit is a mommy to an amazing little guy and wife to a loving (although sometimes frustrating) husband. Both of which have Asperger’s. She became an Earth friendly, crunchy, granola mommy and loves her return to the simpler things in life.

She knits, sews and dabbles in other crafts and love creating things. She tested positive for the BRCA 2 mutation and will be undergoing a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy.

Categories:
decisions doctor family friends Guest post health awareness PSA

That Thing Called Klout

Posted on August 26, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Klout stormed onto the social media radar not too long ago. Since that time, it has been watched, analyzed, and picked apart by countless people. I am not here to do that. Instead, I want to admit that I am intrigued by Klout and often wonder how and why it works. I have a Klout plugin on my Seesmic Desktop so I can be nosey.

At first Klout was just a number. According to Klout:

Klout measures influence based on the ability to drive action, not potentially misleading metrics like follower or friend count. Klout has analyzed over 85 million people on major social networks, and is used by over 3000 brands and applications.

Then, they started Klout Perks. This was a way for businesses to work with individuals via Klout to learn about new products from their brands. Some companies that have used Perks are Disney, Spotify, Subway, and P&G. Sometimes, Perks are sent to you via a Tweet from Klout Perks, other times they show up in your dashboard.

Thanks to Klout Perks, I have been able to try Spotify, test Secret Clinical Strength deodorant, and, most recently, help with PACE through a Klout Perk with Dick’s Sporting Goods. PACE helps to protest athletes through concussion education.

Klout also allows you to recognize people that influence you. By going to Klout, you can look at the topics that people are influential in and give them a +K. When you give someone a +K, you are able to Tweet it. There is some controversy about tossing this into the Twitter streams. Some people consider it Spam. I tend to agree, so I add a message to the tweet to personalize it. Here’s an example:

It’s like my view of Follow Friday. Rather than a long stream of Twitter people, I personalize it with something that makes them special to me. People have noticed this and several that I know have started this fun new touch to giving +K to people.

So this week’s Aloha Friday question is inspired by Klout:

Have you signed up for Klout yet? If you have, what do you like and/or dislike about it? I would love to know what topics it says you are influential about. Do you have any thoughts on the +K Tweets?

Disclosure: I was given Dick’s Sporting Goods gift cards because I’m a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company. This perk simply worked into my post about Klout in general.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #166

Categories:
Aloha Friday bloggy friends interesting me moments photos PSA twitter

Facebook Fallacies about Breast Cancer

Posted on August 5, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

If you are on Facebook, then you have probably witnessed some things that you are not fond of. Whether it is Farmville, Poking, or perhaps status memes that are alive and well. The reality is that many of these items are part of Facebook streams each and every day.

Recently, a blogger friend pointed out a new variation of one that is a pet peeve of mine. Basically, a private message is sent to people asking them to post something in their status message. This is what Irene was asked to do:

Women are supposed to put the number of their shoe size, followed by the word inches and a frowny face.

The basic thought by the person that created this status meme is that they are spreading breast cancer awareness. Are they? The reality is that the meme is secretive if you are just looking at it and does not help to get the word of awareness out. On The Crafting Hobbit, Irene really hits home about it in her post titled Breast Cancer Awareness is so much more than a Facebook Status.

So why am I mentioning this now?

1 – Breast cancer has personally hit my family. My Aunt S was diagnosed with it just weeks before NHL was born. She is now an eight year survivor who has battle scars to show her strength and courage. My great-grandmother was not as lucky. She was diagnosed when she was about my age and passed away when she was about 37 years old. My GYN asked me to get this history because she needed to know to schedule my first mammogram. Yes, it would seem likely that I will be getting mine within the next year. Of course, I plan on blogging about my experience to reinforce the importance of this testing and women’s health. My little guy gets to hug Aunt S today thanks to early detection.

2 – Then, there are women like Rene Syler of Good Enough Mother who shares her story. Rene opted to have a preventative mastectomy in 2007. Both of her parents were breast cancer survivors. Although Rene was not a carrier of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes (the only two linked to breast cancer to date), she made this decision and talks to women about how this changed her life. A reader on Good Enough Mother wrote in several months ago asking Rene about Preventative Mastectomy and she wrote about it.

Much like Rene, Irene, who wrote the post I mentioned, is planning to have a double mastectomy this fall. Her mother is a breast cancer survivor, and her grandmother passed away from it at 36. She is a carrier of the BRCA2 mutation which gives her an 84% chance of developing breast cancer before she is 70. As the mother of an almost two year old, she is taking the preventative approach.

These two women are brave and have shown their dedication to educating people about breast cancer. There are some amazing resources on The Crafting Hobbit and Good Enough Mother if you want to help yourself, a friend, or family member. Let’s remember cancer awareness and early detection is key for everyone.

So my question for you this week is:

Do you have a Facebook pet peeve? What is it and why does it bother you. Also, please pay tribute to any breast cancer heroes that are in your life. We can celebrate these people now, not just in October.

Categories:
Aloha Friday bloggy friends decisions family friends health awareness looking back me moments photos PSA vent

Stop Distracted Driving

Posted on July 8, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Recently, something has really been bothering me. I have seen a lot of other drivers in their cars with cell phone to their ears and/or texting. They are not stopped at lights. No, they are driving. Not only is this dangerous, but illegal in New York State. Yes, it is illegal to text while driving and you must have a hands free device IF you talk on your cell phone.

Accidents happen with normal distractions and circumstances. We don’t need other items to be there. I can not imagine any call or text being so important that your life or another person’s is worth it. Of course, if you must, pull your car over and do what you need in a safe manner.

Sorry, I just had to vent since I have been seeing more and more people in their cars doing this. So to lighten it up a bit and send home the message I give you this PSA message from Cars 2

So my question to you this week:

Does the state that you live in have laws about talking on the cell phone or texting while driving? What do you think about laws like the ones we have in NYS?

Nobody asked me to write this post, it is just something that has been on my mind for a while and I wanted to hear what others were thinking about the subject.

Pssst . . . be sure to stop by TechyDad’s Outback Steakhouse $45 giveaway.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #159

Categories:
Aloha Friday PSA real world news vent

Happy St. Patrick’s Day – Be Safe

Posted on March 17, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

St. Patrick’s day is one that many people will be wearing shades of green to enjoy a special day with our Irish friends. Of course, it is also a day that people will be at parties and likely drinking. To keep this day happy, we must think ahead and be sure to stay safe. Don’t forget:

As part of Global Influence, I want to help to get this important public service message out there. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Ad Council wants to remind everyone to stay safe, plan ahead, and designate a sober driver for an upcoming parties that you will be going to. Do not forget that Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving no matter what the day. The NHTSA has additional information on their Facebook page and Twitter account.

Remember to share this information with your family and friends. If we work together we can try to stop buzzed driving.

Disclosure: I am posting this information as a public service because I feel it is important to get it to my readers. Global Influence is helping spread the word about this public service campaign.