Breast Cancer:A Battle No One Should Have To Fight Alone

Breast Cancer Affects So Many

It’s so important to stay on top of our physical health. I’ve seen first hand how scary it can be to walk through breast cancer. Regularly doing self exams and getting regularly scheduled mammograms, can be life-saving! I had a mammogram today, because whenever I spend time with my sister, it reminds me how important it is to be consistent with getting checked. Now that we have had some experience in this arena, I am even more vigilant about my health. And when you have little ones that depend on you, it adds a whole new layer of importance!

If you find something that you’re unsure about, bring your concerns to your doctor! You don’t need to be a trained professional to know that something might be going on in your body. Don’t back down! Stand your ground, if you think something is wrong, and make sure that everything is okay. YOU are your best advocate!!!

My sister fought this battle with so much bravery, it was inspiring! She was diagnosed when she was just 33 and we do not have history of Breast Cancer in our family. Because this is an issue that has now touched my family in such a personal way, like it has for so many other families, I wanted to talk a little more about it and all the things that come along with it. She was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma er+pr+her 2- in 2021, which resulted in needing a double mastectomy, chemo and radiation.

A Peaceful Place to Recover

When my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, I wanted to do something for her that would help her through it. I decided that I would create a peaceful place for her to recover from her surgery. I wanted it to be a place where she could escape and rest, without worrying about anything outside of those walls for a little bit. You can see my IG post if you want to check out her sweet space that we did for her!

Breast Cancer Journey Prep

After chatting with my sister about some of the things she experienced I basically interviewed her about things that helped her or things she did to prepare in the hopes it could help someone else!

Before chemo, it’s important to freeze your eggs. Because breast cancer can hit so unexpectedly, sometimes at young ages, some people that go through this experience may still be in family planning stages of life. Freezing eggs before chemo treatments is always a good idea because it can make the process so much easier when you get ready to think about starting your family, or continuing to build your family.

It’s extremely common that chemo will cause hair loss, so it’s important to also be prepared for this. I highly recommend services like Wig Fairy for this stage of the journey, because being prepared for the changes will make it easier going forward. It’s typical for hair loss to start about two weeks after beginning treatment, so having a plan in place for wigs is essential. You would be so surprised how they can get a wig perfect to your regular hair.

Another key aspect to think about is wearing comfortable hats. Wearing a knit hat (especially outdoors or while you’re sleeping) is very important. Hats with hair are also a really good choice for outdoor activities, just to make you a little more comfortable.

Another way to fight against the feelings that arise during treatment is having your eyebrows microbladed a couple of weeks before starting treatment. Having your eyebrows microbladed enhances your facial features, and will help keep your spirits lifted throughout the process of treatment. 

During Treatment

When you’re in chemo treatment, it will help so much to be prepared. Pack yourself a cute duffel bag with your coziest blanket, headphones, favorite snacks, a cutie cup, magazines, your iPad/laptop, a long charger for your electronics, and comfy (fuzzy) socks. This bed desk is a great item that you can purchase to place your things on for your room during chemo! I also recommend this neck pillow for chemo, to help make it a little more comfy. Neuropathy can occur during Taxol treatments, as well. So make sure to pack some ice mittens and socks to help combat neuropathy. I’d recommend bringing a cooler to rotate the cold items to keep them ready for use when needed.

When preparing for a mastectomy surgery, comfy clothing is hey. Consider zip up hoodies or robes with drain pocket holders, so that recovery from the surgery will be more comfortable! Investing in some comfy clothes and pajamas, like Cozy Earth, will be really helpful during the recovery period as well. You can also buy additional pockets to pin inside them. Button down shirts are also a really great way to stay comfy, but also want to wear “real” clothes.

Recovery + Radiation

Other items to keep you comfy post-surgery are a wedge pillow, to help keep you propped up. And a chest pillow to prevent your seat belt from rubbing while you’re in the car. 

You’ll also want to avoid wearing bras during radiation. Bras can cause skin irritation and dark spots on your skin. The dark spots will eventually fade, but avoiding bras altogether will decrease the risk of getting them at all. 

Self Care

Radiation is also something that you need to be prepared for. My sister really loved calendula cream for her skin care during radiation. Aquaphor is also a great choice to use while you’re navigating this part of your journey! These feminine wipes are also a great product that you can use between showers.

Loved Ones + Breast Cancer

If you love someone that is walking through their breast cancer journey, and you’re not sure how you can help them, I want to encourage you that any little thing can breathe life into them! Bringing meals, or purchasing gift cards from services like DoorDash or Uber Eats, can be so helpful! Setting up a meal train was the best thing we ever did! You can also purchase gift cards for Uber to help them with transportation to appointments in the future. It’s hard to ask for help with these kinds of things, so providing them on the up front can really take away some of the sting that comes with cancer and recovery. 

If you really want to brighten someone’s day with a cute gift, my sister loves this sweatshirt!!!

Keeping your loved one’s spirits lifted and encouraged is the best way to help them. Small things like encouraging cards or texts, small gifts, and flowers can be a really great way to let them know that they are not going through it alone! This could be a great gift for someone fighting the battle. Cancer can be alienating and lonely, so it’s extremely important that we let our people know that we are there for them!

Non-Profit Resources

Keep the Candle Glowing: We were able to send my sister a basket before her mastectomy. I love this service so much, because you can send a basket filled with specific essentials for someone that is having a mastectomy!

Living Beyond Breast Cancer: They provide support resources for patients that have been through breast cancer.

Peace Love Tote: Another great resource to help provide patients with the essentials they need during treatment and after surgery!

Pink Fund: They help provide financial support to breast cancer patients that are actively undergoing treatment.

Cleaning for a Reason is also a great resource to help with cleaning of your house, which really helps lift some of the weight off of your shoulders!

Stand Together

I know this is a scary topic for so many. I want you to be encouraged that there are ways to get organized and make this simple, so that you can focus on fighting (or helping someone fight) this battle!