My body matters

The thing about the internet and social media is that news spreads quickly, sometimes like an out-of-control forest fire. If what’s being shared is amazing and incredible we all share in a collective cheer, but when the news is sad our hearts are heavy and the desire to hold our loved ones a little closer is powerful. Two days ago I learned that Susan died. Aside from following her on Twitter and knowing that she was battling breast cancer, I didn’t have a personal relationship with her like so many others. I watched as an overwhelming number of tweets were sent, updates were shared on Facebook, and many blog posts were written. This incredible woman had touched a lot of lives. I read a lot of what was shared and even shed tears, not because I suffered a personal loss, but because I’m a Mom, I’m a wife, but probably most importantly I’m a woman. I went to bed two nights in a row thinking about her and how excruciating it must have been to say goodbye to her husband and her children, something that’s just too painful for me to fathom. I also kept thinking about how I couldn’t know of such a loss and just carry on like it didn’t affect me. I learned in the last couple of days that Susan’s breast cancer was one that doesn’t present itself with a lump, as is the the case most of the time, it’s actually the rarest form known as Inflammatory Breast Cancer. It’s seriously frightening and after reading that post you can bet I’m going to get to know my own body better. I called my OBGYN office yesterday and made an appointment for an annual physical and I was a little disappointed in myself when I heard the scheduler say that it had been since the Fall of 2009 since my last one. I owe it to my kids, my husband, and especially myself to look after this body of mine as best I can. I realize cancer doesn’t really care about how good of a person you are, or the size of your bank account, or even how famous you might be, but I’m hoping that I can give it less of a shot at invading my body by eating well, exercising, and listening when something doesn’t seem quite right. I think as women we often ignore our bodies because we are so busy taking care of everyone else, but in reality if we don’t show ourselves that same love and attention then we really can’t give our best to those around us. Since I know how much I matter to my husband and my two sons, I plan to make this a priority. I hope you will too.