Finding Fuel For My Inner Fire After My Breast Cancer Scare

This post is sponsored by Moms Meet and Fuel For Fire®.  Compensation for this post was provided and I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of the links in this post.

"It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder.  We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake." -Frederick Douglass

Sometimes we're forced into darkness not to find light but find fuel for our inner fire.  My light went out about two months ago when I woke and found on my inner right breast.  At first, I wasn't overly concerned about it.  I thought it might have been more a bump caused by the bra had worn and accidentally fell asleep in.  I did start to worry when said lump doubled in size and started to be very painful and tender to the touch.

The Invisible Girls

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Jericho Books. I received a product sample to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Have you ever felt invisible? I know that I have on more than one occasion. At Ralph Ellison put it, "I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me."  Sarah Thebarge shares her emotional and difficult journey of surviving breast cancer and an encounter with a family of Somali refugees, Hadhi and her five daughters, that changed her life in the memoir The Invisible Girls.  She shows us that while even in our darkest hours, some people would rather pretend we're invisible to avoid dealing with our situations, we're not alone.  Sometimes, the first step to becoming visible is reach out ourselves.

When I heard first heard about Sarah Thebarge and how she was first diagnosed with breast cancer at age twenty-seven (my current age), I knew that I had to read her book.  Breast cancer is a disease that has greatly affected both sides of my family.  My paternal grandmother and great aunt died of breast cancer, I've had at least six family members defeat breast cancer and currently I have two cousins who are still battling breast cancer.  So, I express my passion for wanting to cure this dreadful disease through donating and supporting anything breast cancer related.

However, once I started reading Sarah's memoir, I quickly learned that her book wasn't just about her battle with breast cancer, but about how her breast cancer diagnosis had made her invisible, her battle to overcome that invisibility and how a group of fellow invisible girls changed her life along the way.  Sarah met Hadhi and two of her girls while the riding the train and she had no clue what she was getting herself into.  What started off as just a friendly and Christian gesture quickly blossomed into a relationship that transcended friendship 

You see, Hadhi and her five girls had moved to America to escape the violence of Somalia thinking they'd have a better and successful life.  And while their lives here was a slight step up from what they had experienced back in Africa, they were invisible and alone in our society.  I think that on some level Sarah connected with the feeling of being alone and feeling like nobody was seeing the pain, the struggle or silent cries for help.  Sarah battle breast cancer more than once and throughout her battles she lost a lot.  She was and felt alone with her friends on a different coast, her family hundreds of miles away and the boyfriend and church family she thought she could depend on ended up flaking on her when she needed them the most.

Throughout the book, Sarah tries to figure out why God is allowing this to happen her.  As a Christian, I have definitely had moments where I felt like God was punishing me for something in my past.  It's not easy going through hard times without any answers as to why.  But you have to stop focusing on the why and instead focus on the process of getting through...of using your faith to survive. Asking God for help instead of a reason.  In fact one of my favorite parts of the book is when Sarah is in the hospital and she's trying to walk to the nurses station. She writes "Help, God," I whispered with every step. "Help, God. Help God. Help."

If you haven't read The Invisible Girls, I definitely recommend that you pick up a copy.  This book is amazing, heartwarming, funny at times and beautifully written.  I'll warn you now that you might want to keep a box of tissues handy because Sarah and Hadhi's stories will move you to tears in some parts.  This is hands down one of the BEST books I've had the pleasure to read this year!  And if you want to learn more about Sarah Thebarge, Hadhi and the girls check out her site here.

5 Healthy Habits To Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  And I'm pretty sure we all know or have heard of someone who has had or has breast cancer.  I have personally talked about how my paternal grandmother losing her battle to breast cancer at a young age affected by father and his siblings as well as how those effects trickled down into my childhood.  However, what I want to everyone reading this post today to remember is that you have a fighting chance (males that included).  So I'm linking up with the BLM Girls Go Pink to share 5 healthy habits that can help your reduce your risk if breast cancer if you don't have it and help you to stick it to breast cancer if you do have it.

1-Eat Healthy: This is something that a lot of struggle with but the truth be told we are what we eat.  When we eat healthier foods our bodies our better able to fight our sickness and even cancer.  Plus, fruits and vegetables are very rich in antioxidants that help to fight cancer specifically.  One change that I've made is trying to Dr Oz's Anti-Cancer Breakfast Shake to help reduce my chances. Check out the recipe here.

2-Get Active:  Eating right alone won't make our bodies strong.  We have to turn off the tv and the computers and get out in the yard with the kids and run around.  Don't have kids?  Well, invest in a gym membership and get a workout buddy to help stay motivated.  Exercising our bodies not only helps us to keep our curves in shape but it also releases positive disease fighting hormones too.

3-Limit Drinks:  I'm not talking about KoolAid, juice or water either. Getting wasted (or tipsy) every night of the week might make you feel like the life of the party in the long term it's only destroying your body inside and preventing your immune system from being able to function properly.  As, with all things if you're going to have alcoholic beverages drink in moderation.

4-Touch Yourself:   Yep, you read correct.  Doing daily, weekly or bi-weekly self exams is the best way to catch breast cancer or changes in your breast period.  It's not just breast cancer that affects your breast.  Women and men can get cyst, scar tissues and more.  Don't know how to administer a self exam find out here.

5-Professional Checkups:  You may be doing your self exams at home, but you still need make checkups with your doctor every six and of course schedule your yearly mammograms.   Some of us are going miss lumps due to improper technique.  Others of us might just write a little lump off as having had too much caffeine   Whatever the case, a professional exam and mammogram are the only ways to be certain or not you have breast cancer.

Have you gotten your professional breast exam or mammogram?

Thankful Thursday

It's Thankful Thursday again and this week I am thankful that I had a wonderful one year wedding anniversary with my husband and my kids.  I am truly looking forward to and making plans for our second wedding anniversary already.  I'm thankful that I am breast cancer FREE!!  As you all know it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  

And for me this is kind of a sad month because I lost my paternal grandmother and two aunts on my father's side to breast cancer.  I also, lost a great aunt on my mother's side to breast cancer and have watched a few members in my family battle and survive breast cancer.  So, this disease is very serious for me.  I don't take for granted being among those who are breast cancer free because this is a disease that has affected so many women and a few men in my family.

I am also thankful that I had the chance to go back home for a day and visit with my mom.  She enjoyed seeing the kids and couldn't believe how big they've both gotten.  It was nice to see my baby sister on her fall break from college.  She had so many stories to share.  I'm thankful that she's adjusting and making some great friends.

I'm also thankful for all the new followers YUMMommy has.  Thank you so much for liking this blog enough that you've decided to subscribe to it.  I truly appreciate your support and your comments are welcomed!

What are you giving thanks for today?

Romance Wednesday: In Sickness & In Health

One thing that I can say about my husband is that he loves me in sickness and in health.  That was one part of our wedding vows that I knew he truly meant and would uphold without him evening having to say it.  He's nursed me through the flu twice, food poisoning, morning sickness and a slew of common colds.  He's even gotten sick a few times because he was nursing me back to health.

And when he found out that breast cancer runs pretty common in my family, I will have you all know that every so often he checks in to make sure that I am doing my daily breast exams.  Not only that but he also went so far as to get cancer insurance with his job.  "Better safe than sorry," he said.  Now, to me that's real love.

I just want to say that if you aren't encouraging your spouse to take measures to prevent breast cancer then you should start today.  Don't wait for a doctor to stumble across it or for them to get sick.