Due to a misunderstanding, I went to the gym this morning. I thought Daniel and I had plans for dinner tonight but he was expecting me to come over tomorrow. It's not a bad thing to start the day off with a good sweat but it turns out that it wasn't required.
I was dripping on the elliptical when my iPod died. (Thanks for the sympathetic sigh but it was just the charge, don't worry.) So I decided to plug my headphones into the remote so I could hear Good Morning America. For the record, I'm a Today Show kinda girl but GMA was on right in front of me and I had nothing better to do. So I'm watching the weather segment, the Lisa Marie segment, even the Star Jones segment. Really nothing to elaborate on. But when they switched to the outdoor segment there were women in pink robes everywhere. Lined up all the way around the courtyard. When asked why they all matched, the women explained that they were in NYC for their Glamourgrams.
These women get together every year and spend the day getting their mammograms and then pampering themselves with massages and pedicures. It's their way of making their mammograms a priority and a pleasure.
Within the last 3 years I've known 2 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer. One of those women is Logic's mom. She is a very strong, brave woman and is currently cancer-free but it was a struggle and the chemo took a toll on her body. She is a huge proponent for mammograms and monthly breast exams because it was something she neglected prior to her diagnosis. So I write this for her. If you are over 40 and don't enjoy getting your annual mammogram, ( ;) ) maybe you can try to incorporate something fun into the day and include the women you care about. Just a thought.
3 comments:
I am over 40 and as a matter of fact I am due for my annual. I'm going to wait until October though, but I won't forget, I promise. :)
Thanks!
Very interesting Amaya. As you know I did mammograms every day for twelve years. One of the saddest parts of my job was knowing that a woman had cancer before anyone else. I always was aware of how it would be a sentinel event in their lives. They would never be the same again. Sadly, although it comes back rarely, many women live in fear after having had it once. Secondly, it is always about the mammographer--is she the right person for the job. My co-worker was cold and unfeeling, thus everyone requested me. I don't say that in any bragging fashion, just to point out that with the right mammographer any woman can easily go through a mammogram. I could keep writing about this but that is the key--find a woman that you click with and stick with her even if it means paying the $100.
What an interesting perspective. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to know you are delivering bad news. You bring up a very good point about finding the right person to do the tests.
I really liked this idea of a group of women celebrating the day.
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