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C A N C E R
That word is so complicated. For me, that word has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My maternal grandmother is the first person I can remember having breast cancer. She fought it; she survived it. More than once. She even came out with cool purple hair after one of her battles ( I was a teen, it was cool to me at the time).
One by one member of my family fought battles with cancer. Breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, stomach cancer, thyroid cancer, and leukemia. Some won and some were not so fortunate.
My most recent loss was the one that caused me to take action in my own life. When my mother in law lost her battle to breast cancer, I decided that I would do everything in my power to fight cancer head-on. With so many cases of cancer in my family, I knew that my risk of cancer was probably pretty high so I decided to get genetic labs done to check for gene mutations that might put me at higher risks for cancer.
I wasn’t shocked when I got my results back. I already knew that my mom had the gene mutation so I figured I had it as well. BRCA1. While I could look at it as a bad thing, I choose to see it as a chance to be proactive. While other members of my family (like my grandfather) who also carry the mutation never had the chance to take preventative measures before they got cancer, I do have those options.
What options?
I am currently talking with my doctors about having a hysterectomy and double mastectomy. WHAT?
I KNOW!
It seems a little drastic, doesn’t it?
I mean I could go my entire life and never even get cancer. Or I could only get cancer in one of the two places. Those are the same thoughts that run through my mind. I just had an appointment yesterday, and I will have two more appointments next week, and I am still not certain what I will do, but I will decide soon. I know that my risk for cancer is very high. I know that I do not want to get cancer. I also know that I will do everything I can to fight for a cancer-free future for myself and my children.
That’s really all I know right now.
I eat a very clean keto lifestyle and I do what I can to stay as healthy as possible, but sometimes your genes are stacked against you.
One of my go-to songs right now when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the choices I have ahead of me is “The Fight” a new single from Taboo! I don’t know if you know this, but Taboo is a testicular cancer survivor! How awesome is that?! As a cancer survivor, Taboo is using his influence to provide motivation, inspiration, hope, and movement. In his own words, Taboo us proud to be “in the trenches” with millions of cancer survivors and caregivers who work relentlessly to beat cancer.
70% of the profits from song downloads will go to the American Cancer Society to help raise funds to support the fight against cancer, so please, do your part today and download “The Fight” NOW!
Want to learn more about Taboo’s fight against cancer? Check out his interview on The Doctors here. It was a little hard to watch him talk because you can hear the passion in his voice, and his eyes were getting watery but grab some tissues and watch the interview (then share it!).
Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease, and accounts for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths. Let’s do all we can to fight it!