Our Body, Our Environment Strength to bare it all and bear it all in the safety of a backyard. We all try to have self sovereignty. Choices made about where we live, and what we do for an income are often based more on privilege than actual control. Knowing where our food comes from, the quality of the air we breathe or the water we drink, are often combined with genetic risk factors during analysis of how likely we are to succumb to disease. When there are no genetic markers that indicate disease, the unknown in our environment comes to the fore. Policy and the ability of populations to live in a clean environment should not be due to privilege.

Always a Place to Rest their Heads The genetic inheritance of certain cancer genes can pass from ancestors thru us to our to heirs. Symbolically, our breasts, the source of food for our young, have a complicated visual record in today's society. Revered yet deemed inappropriate to bare, they have a unique ability to calm those who rest their heads on them. My friend Mary finds a moment of soft embrace with her daughter before having a double mastectomy due to the presence of Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Incidences of cancer, like other devastating diseases, are sometimes hereditary can also be linked to environmental pollution.

Young and the Old Breasts come in many sizes and shapes. We need to revel in the perfection of what we have. Joni Mitchell said “you don’t know what you’ve got till its gone.”

Teaching our Young Mary associated her breasts with her innate ability to nuture her children. When diagnosed with breast cancer, she made a point of teaching her daughter how to cook. Up to that point her daughter, while she loved her mother's cooking, had not made an effort to learn her mother's recipes. Mary's diagnosis changed that.

The Depth of Caregivers From the sheer numbers of people diagnosed with cancer annually, there are corresponding numbers of clinics and caregivers to help us through.

What's in Vogue? Idealized versions of ourselves rarely hold up to our expectations. This is a most personal process, yet one which has a public front of judgment. Stilettos were not seen during visits to the radiation lab. Wearing comfortable shoes may be the best way to approach life.

The Light of Absence My friend Mary after the discovery of Inflammatory Breast Cancer and subsequent double mastectomy. Health and wellness takes many forms, we can choose to fight or embrace the path of our lives. To embrace the presence of our breasts as fundamental as water for life and representational of a woman’s ability to provide sustenance, can come with the ability to acknowledge that their absence doesn’t mean we are not as capable, feminine, or worthy of love and respect.

Daily Life Goes On Sustenance through any period of healing from disease takes on an added layer of importance. Shopping for fresh food requires going to stores and exposing oneself to a further barrage of germs and potential disease. Balancing safety and health is always present. Knowing how the food was grown that is purchased, and what water sources there were for them, would be reassuring. The notion to not let any more toxins in the body would aid all attempts to block the growth of cancer cells.

Free Parking Pass During cancer radiation treatments, my friend Mary was able to expedite her visits by parking near the entry and not having to search for a space on a daily basis. Some who receive chemo or radiation treatment experience great fatigue, nausea or discomfort. Little things go a long way. Seeing through barriers and discerning where to focus energy is paramount in life.

Everyone Helps While we can feel as though, on our path through difficulty, we are alone--most often there are legions who are rooting for us to succeed.

Office Hour Appointments Specialists of all sorts contribute to all paths through the medical system. Communication, support and understanding goes both ways. Sometimes it is difficult to keep up with the long list of appointments to be kept.

Camraderie Waiting rooms can be impersonal or warm. It is the people in them, sharing bits of information from their day or their journey that make the road less long when waiting.

Waiting with Love Vulnerability is on the surface on any medical journey. We are left alone with our thoughts, yet they are the only way to combat anxiety and assure a quest for health.

Radiation Zone Technology and comfort help the journey with cancer. After a mastectomy, radiation, chemotherapy or reconstruction may be the follow up; for everyone it means moving forward without the breasts inherent at birth.

Mapping Locations The zone to receive radiation is mapped using hi-tech imagery. A template is created to transpose those locations to the surface of the body, where radiation will enter the core. Technicians recalibrate those locations, guided by tech, the human eye and hand to draw on the body to ensure that the radiation beams fall within a proscribed area of concern.

Mary's Opening for Radiation Individualized plates focus the beams of radiation on the area with any possible remaining cancer cells. Each session of radiation entails pinpointing the locus where cancer cells could be present and making sure minimal other areas are affected. If the cancer was present in the left breast it means the heart organ is potentially in line with the radiation beams.

Multiple Measurements Sometimes the feeling of being a guinea pig is overwhelming on a journey in the medical industry. All the measurements are data points to help in the healing of society. Yet glimmers of individuality and care come through just like green nail polish can serve to boost spirits. Sally Bowles was a fan of green nail polish and not sitting alone in a room.

Blood Tests after Treatment More data points to watch after receiving cancer treatments gives information about the personal journey for doctors and their future patients.

Holding it All Together Along the way, a well placed box of tissues can provide comfort.

Post Radiation Cream The burn from radiation to arrest cancer travels through the body. The skin on both sides of the target area is burned: front and back of the body. Applying cream soothes the burn and minimizes skin loss and chafing. Since Mary's double mastectomy is recent, wrapping the wound area provides support both physically and emotionally. The process of cancer and holding unto one's life and hope is multifaceted.

Teaching How to Care for Oneself Watching over the skillet and carrmelized onions eases the burn on the shoulder. Something about caring for others makes the journey sweet.

On the Way Home Many people have to travel great distances to receive treatment specialized for their type of cancer. For all the things that women endure, breast cancer is a singular journey, yet filled with connections and discovery. Individuals seek help and support from myriad communities that hold us, either tightly or at arms length. Looking back and looking forward, but being present is the journey.

Stage of Success Home for rest and recuperation is vital in finding a path through a cancer diagnosis. Life on the other side, take respite in how and where one can be.