You know what the 7 scariest words are to hear?
Happy 40th, now go get a mammogram! Then you spend the next 2 months
until your appointment hyping yourself up for the pain, only to realize it’s
not actually THAT bad! After you finished you get the “We’ll mail you a letter
to let you know everything is clear.” Sweet! See you in a year! The next day
you have a message asking you to call the center back. Wait what? No, I did the
squish smash already. The conversation goes something like this…
Nice Lady on the Phone: Blah blah blah center
how may I help you.
Calm You: Oh hi I got a message to call back,
not sure if it’s about insurance.
NLOTP: Sure please hold
Still Calm You: No problem
Nice Nurse Lady: Hi, we were calling back
because there was an abnormal spot on your left side
Less Calm You: Oooookkkk
NNL: Now it could be words word words words word
words words word words….come in for a follow up as soon as possible.
Completely Lost Your Crap You: Yep turning 40
was a terrible decision…so like how soon?
NNL: We can see you on Friday, we’ll reimage and
then do an ultrasound with the doctor there. You’ll know before you go if it’s
cancerous cells.
Almost Crying You: Um yeah okay, sure.
That whole conversation took less than 5 minutes
and your life just went from ALL GOOD to WHAT THE ACTUAL FORK JUST HAPPENED?
That was me in December. And for the 2 days all
I kept thinking was What if it’s cancer? Not going to lie, I’m bad about self
exams and I’m now convinced this is my fault.
Fast forward 2 days…The people at my center are
AMAZING! They technician explained everything and let me see the images so I
knew what we were looking at. Part of the reason for the immediate follow up
was I have no history as this was my first mammogram. I have a cluster of cells
hanging out on their own island. I mean that’s exactly what it looks like. The
ultrasound was the worst part as your waiting for a doctor to say benign or
malignant…Summoning all the positive energy in the universe you’re thinking
please be benign… please be benign… please be benign…It seemed like forever
before she FINALLY said I don’t see any cancerous cells, all look benign.
CRISIS AVERTED! As soon as I’m ready to peace out she drops the “We would
like you see you in 6 months to measure again to make sure it truly is just a
cluster of cells.”
At this point I’m doing 3 things
1. Being thankful
2. Doing self-exams
3. Telling all my friends to get their mammograms
I’m also scouring the interwebs and find a
website https://www.sharecancersupport.org/breast-cancer/
Y’all they have a hotline! They have an online
community! They have information! They have been a huge reason I haven’t
completely lost my crap along the way!
I did go back in May and was super excited to
get a letter!! EXCEPT it said there was still an abnormality and they wanted to
see me in 6th months. So by the time I get to my second annual
mammogram I will have already had 3. Guess how many my insurance covers? JUST 1
because after the first it is no longer “preventative” *heavy eye roll*
But luckily I DO have insurance and the hospital takes payment plans!
Just this year alone I know of 3 people who have
been diagnosed and undergone treatment. All different ages, 20’s, 30’s and
40’s. This triggered something in me and I want to pay it forward to Share
Cancer Support! I was chatting with a blogger friend who just finished her
chemo treatment and she was telling me about a website that really helped her,
it was Share! They have resources for other cancers as well. They offer support
and even advocates to support doctor appointments!
So while I could just ASK for money, I’d like to
make it special as well as a way you can show your support too! I am selling
items (aka I’m asking for a donation) and in turn I will gift you a handmade
pink craft. I made everything because this is something I feel passionately
about and I want to be able to give and give back.
I’ll happily accept any donation and every
dollar will go toward the charity in October. I’ll hand deliver to anyone local
(ish) otherwise I’m asking for $5 for shipping. I bought all the supplies so my
only cost is shipping. I also have some fun things to add to any package AND
informational sheets on self exams and prevention! My company matches donations
100% so my goal is to raise at least $250 which will magically turn into
$500!
These are the items I have for sale! If you
would like to support me, you can PayPal (erin_t_mccurry@yahoo.com) me the
donation as well as in the note section let me know what you would like and
please make a note if there is shipping so I can be sure to subtract that
amount and so I know to pack it with love and get it to you! You can also PM me
on the old Facebook or Instagram or leave a message on my blog. Pictures are below!
$20- pink tied rag wreath (Circle or heart, your
choice)
$15- pink glitter ornament set (cause they come
in a set!)
$10- Pink ribbon ornament
$5- set of 5 pink clothes pin magnets
I cannot thank you enough for support not only
me but others including those friends of mine who have won their battle and
supporting the fight against cancer!
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| $15- pink glitter ornament set (cause they come in a set!) |
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| $10- Pink ribbon ornament |
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| Back of pink ribbon ornament |
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| $5- set of 5 pink clothes pin magnets |
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| $20- pink tied rag wreath (Circle or heart, your choice) |
