Masectomy

Today, while working, I saw one of the scariest and most beautiful things I have ever seen that truly made me appreciate not only being in AP Lang and reading an essay about it, but being a woman and loving life. Today, I saw a woman with one breast. This was one of the most powerful things for me to see. Yeah, I've heard of breast cancer, I've even had an aunt who was diagnosed with it for awhile. She eventually came out of remission and she's doing okay now, but I know what it must have been like for her. According to http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/what_is_bc.jsp: Breast cancer is an uncontrolled growth of breast cells. The term “breast cancer” refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. Usually breast cancer either begins in the cells of the lobules, which are the milk-producing glands, or the ducts, the passages that drain milk from the lobules to the nipple. Less commonly, breast cancer can begin in the stromal tissues, which include the fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast. Basically, there is no environmental cause to breast cancer it just happens. About 90% of breast cancers are due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and the “wear and tear” of life in general. There's nothing women can do to avoid it. So shouldn't that make us all fear it? Yes, it really should, which is why I recommend getting a breast examination to make sure your health is A-OK. Anyways, there are several treatments to breast cancer, even including masectomy. A masectomy is the actual removal of a breast in order to prevent the cancer from spreading it. There are over 10,000 of these each year and women across the world lose "part of femininity" due to the cause. We all know that in this day and age, women idolize the perfect, slender, slim body with abnormally large breasts and a great ass. But guess what? No one's perfect. In fact, people are more beautiful when not perfect in my own opinion. But girls always want to be the prettiest one in the room. That being said, losing a part of them, their femininity, their breast makes them feel like less of a woman. I would completely understand the feeling. I know that while not having the best, I am blessed for what I have. I know that women with masectomies can feel like a worse person, and down on themselves, even depressed but this woman who came in to officemax today looked like the happiest woman alive. She was smiling, she was laughing, she was flirting with her husband, and she was at least 60 years old. With cancer plaguing the world, sometimes for people who get diagnosed its better to think about the quality of life, rather than the quantity of days. This woman inspired me to take a step back and realize, life is beautiful. No matter how you live it. Whatever you do, however, live it to the fullest..