One Year Ago…

“Well, there is nothing you can do to prevent Breast Cancer”

I heard that from a Doctor last year.  A Doctor who specializes in… well … breasts.  So, I’m going to get a little personal here, but I figure that if it bothers someone reading, they have the option of stopping.  (Here, I’ll even provide a link to cute animal videos you can watch if you don’t like this topic… click here to stop reading & go watch animal videos instead.)

But back to my story….

A series of tests exactly one year ago (which is why I bring it up now) confirmed that I, thankfully, do NOT have Breast Cancer.

One year ago today! (never an inappropriate time for a family photo)

YEA! NO CANCER! (and for those who know what kind of machine I'm next to... no babies in my belly either. But they weren't looking for that)

But the words quoted above were during a 6 month follow-up, and were in response to me enthusiastically telling the Doctor that I had been striving to eat in a way to encourage cancer prevention (i.e. more Kale, less Cow),  and had been making exercise an intentional regular habit.

Here are the responses he COULD have said, but did NOT:

He did not say:

“good for you…. caring for your body will also help prevent heart disease and diabetes”

He did not say:

“Eating right, being active, and maintaining a healthy weight are important ways to reduce your risk of cancer”

He did not say:

“That’s great!  There is research being done on  foods that have proven to at least help reduce instances of cancer.  Let me tell you more about them….”

He did not even say:

“You know, Cancer is so multifaceted, and science has not found a way to guarantee its prevention.  But through healthy eating and exercise, you are at least doing what you can do to give yourself the best chance for prevention… and in fact, for those who unfortunately do have cancer, a healthy lifestyle both before and after diagnosis is often a contributing factor in their chance for recovery.”

Or at the very least, he did not say:

“Well, that’s smart.  It’s good to try and keep your body lean through diet & exercise, because even if we haven’t found the absolute prevention for cancer yet, we know that being overweight can make cancer more difficult to detect in its earliest stages.”

He gave me NO POSITIVE AFFIRMATION WHATSOEVER.
For that, I admit I am angry.
I know that a Doctor is human.
He probably felt deep down that he needed to defend the many, many cancer patients who come through his office and struggle with wondering if they are to blame for their diagnosis.  (often times…. no).

But to discount a patient’s attempts to live a lifestyle that may at least help?

Sigh.

But I suppose he did me a favor.  My anger at his response has strengthened my resolve.

Cancer.  Diabetes.  Heart Disease. (insert just about any illness here). Prevention DOES start with me.