Maree Peters

The breast cancer cheat

Let me introduce my titty teddy twins. These titty teddy twins will keep your titties nice and warm. More importantly, these titty teddy twins have an important message to bring to you. These titty teddy twins want to remind you of the importance of regular breast screening.

Let me tell you a story. It is a story about me being a cheat! A breast cancer cheat that is.

A bit over 8 years ago I found a lump in my breast. In fact, I rarely checked by breasts for lumps. I was not being diligent, and checking regularly, I had not checked on this particular day as a matter of course. The only reason I rubbed my fingers across my breast during my shower on this particular day was because I had experienced a sharp pain in my breast. And low and behold, there it was, a lump. A lump of some sort, who knows what sort of lump at this stage. (The doctor told me that the pain was not related to the lump. I beg to disagree.)

Well, that prompted a doctor’s appointment, followed by a mammogram and ultrasound, followed by a biopsy, chest x-ray and other scans. The resulting diagnosis – a breast cancer lump.

Nah, I never called it breast cancer. I just called it a lump. In my head, I didn’t have breast cancer. I had a lump. I wasn’t sick. The lump was gone – thanks to the sharp knife of the surgeon. I didn’t have breast cancer. Seven weeks of radiation treatment five days a week. No chemo. It was only a lump!

I would arrive at the cancer treatment hospital (Wodonga Private at that stage) and sit in the waiting room and wait for my name to be called. I would look around, see so many people who were so much worse off than me. So sick, waiting for their chemo treatment. I would read the brochures, they spoke of breast cancer survivors. I wasn’t a survivor, to be a survivor you have to fight a battle. I didn’t fight a battle, not like the other patients in the waiting room fighting their battles. I just had a lump!

So the end of my seven weeks of treatment came. I had a red sunburned boob, I was tired (not only from the driving one hour each way each day, but radiation also makes you tired), but I was okay. My doctor said “you are cancer free”. Cancer free? I just had a lump!

In reality, I did have breast cancer, I was a breast cancer survivor according to statistics. But I was a lucky one. For me it only was “just a lump”. The lump was removed, no spread, all good.

Lucky for me there is so much research, so much they can do if you catch that damm lump early. It is so important to regularly check your breasts. So important to attend regular mammograms – for me that is now every 12 months due to my lump.

So let my titty teddies remind you to book your next appointment. Let my titty teddies remind you to regularly check your breasts. Let my titty teddies encourage you to donate to the Breast Cancer Foundation so they can continue to research, continue to ensure that more of us “just have a lump” and not breast cancer.