It’s a crucial time to support and educate others about how to screen and prevent the disease. According to breastcancer.org, “one in eight women in the U.S. are affected and 2.3 women worldwide are diagnosed each year.”
While breast cancer may not seem important at our age, self-checks should be.

In August of 2019, my mom was diagnosed with stage three Her2-positive breast cancer.

Her2-positive is a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer that has a reputation for high recurrence, spread and a lower survival rate. They usually grow quickly which makes early detection difficult due to its advancement speed. My mom’s cancer occurred in her left breast and left lymph node.

The cancer she had was uncommon, so doctors did not have much experience treating it. She was placed in an experimental trial for a new type of chemotherapy that was being tested, but no one knew what would happen or if she would survive.
By the grace of God, she beat it and has been cancer free for about three years. It was her constant self-checking that allowed her to detect the lump earlier than normal in Her2-positive patients.

She had a mammogram four months before she found the lump, so while mammograms are important, self-checks are critical in providing continual monitoring.

When I was 19 in March 2022, I found a sizable lump in my right breast while I performed a self-examination in the shower. It felt like a smooth marble with soft and smooth edges. It was moveable and firm. I recalled that my mom’s lump had felt like a rough, hard, immovable stone, so that gave me hope it might be a cyst or a fibroadenoma.

A breast cyst is usually a noncancerous liquid filled sac, while a fibroadenoma is typically a noncancerous lump that can form in the breast tissue.

Cysts and fibroadenomas are both common and can even appear at our age. They usually are not concerning, but it is always important to notice changes in your breast and get it checked out.

My lump was a noncancerous fibroadenoma. I had an ultrasound and breast biopsy to confirm it. The doctor said they will only monitor it and start mammograms for me early.

A breast check is simple. In the shower, raise your arm and use the pads of your middle three fingers to rub, push and squeeze your breast in a circular fashion.

If a lump is found, contact your doctor and get professionally examined.

I know this is scary and you don’t want to think about it, but it is important to monitor now to help prevent late detection of breast cancer in the future. It saved my mom’s life, and it can help save yours.