October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Actual Dance is, among many different things, about breast cancer. It is also about love. It is also about relationships. It is also about spirituality and what life really is. It is about a lot of things.
In October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness I will post a daily blog with a reflection about breast cancer. The reflections will stem from something in the play. (All quoted lines are text from the play.)
Day 6: Yesterday I talked about the experience of getting bad news and how for the patient – and the “care giver” -- the moment everything stops. One’s Awareness changes and how in my case I found myself all of a sudden someplace else. In our experience we got the news from a breast surgeon. I eventually nick name him “Dr. Happy because he is always so frigging optimistic.” Because it was our experience and because that moment in time is seared into my brain as an eternal memory, I have been walking around thinking that our case was normal. What I am learning though it is not. That “the news” is most often given by the Breast Radiologist. Dr. Happy was always reluctant to talk and share the bad news, though he was always clear and direct. I am sure it is not easy for any medical professional to give news to a patient that their lives are now in the balance. A whole different Awareness is for the Doctor and medical professionals who go through this process with their patients. I am looking forward to offering The Actual Dance this coming year to a workshop at a meeting of the Society of Breast Imaging and having a the conversation and comparing notes of the experience from different perspectives.
Stat of the Day: It is estimated that 48 million mammograms are performed each year!
Task of the Day: Schedule your next breast exam and mammogram. As the Society of Breast Imaging says: Mammography Saves Lives, and one of them may be yours!
Resource of the Day: So cheat. Here is a place that Radiologist go to for their information, or at least one of the places.
In October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness I will post a daily blog with a reflection about breast cancer. The reflections will stem from something in the play. (All quoted lines are text from the play.)
Day 6: Yesterday I talked about the experience of getting bad news and how for the patient – and the “care giver” -- the moment everything stops. One’s Awareness changes and how in my case I found myself all of a sudden someplace else. In our experience we got the news from a breast surgeon. I eventually nick name him “Dr. Happy because he is always so frigging optimistic.” Because it was our experience and because that moment in time is seared into my brain as an eternal memory, I have been walking around thinking that our case was normal. What I am learning though it is not. That “the news” is most often given by the Breast Radiologist. Dr. Happy was always reluctant to talk and share the bad news, though he was always clear and direct. I am sure it is not easy for any medical professional to give news to a patient that their lives are now in the balance. A whole different Awareness is for the Doctor and medical professionals who go through this process with their patients. I am looking forward to offering The Actual Dance this coming year to a workshop at a meeting of the Society of Breast Imaging and having a the conversation and comparing notes of the experience from different perspectives.
Stat of the Day: It is estimated that 48 million mammograms are performed each year!
Task of the Day: Schedule your next breast exam and mammogram. As the Society of Breast Imaging says: Mammography Saves Lives, and one of them may be yours!
Resource of the Day: So cheat. Here is a place that Radiologist go to for their information, or at least one of the places.
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