“Real courage is not the absence of fear; it’s the determination to keep going despite it. To all the women facing breast cancer, you are the embodiment of courage.”
The most frequently diagnosed type of cancer around the globe is breast cancer. It leads to death among the women. The emotional turmoil this disease brings affects not only a person’s physical health but also their psychological well-being. Hence, it is not easy or final to say that there is a right or wrong way of anticipating the emotional trauma that an individual goes through after she is diagnosed with breast cancer.
As due to lack of Breast Cancer Awareness & prevention; in 2020, about 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer globally, while the death ratio was 685,000. It means every 14 seconds around the world, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. The death ratio indicates that there are more than 1400 women every day dying of breast cancer.
The diagnosed individual comes across numerous emotions like shock, fear, sadness, disbelief, anger, and numbness. The emotions fluctuate from day to day or even an hour to hour. These individuals go through a load of traumatic times and have low feelings towards survival, yet they choose to live, survive, and revive back to life with positivity and hope to fight. They are resilient & steadfast during shady days full of dark-pitched, hopeless ups & downs.
These individuals often question almighty why they had been chosen to face the indefinite pain, suffering, and overwhelming feelings of being faulty, invalidity, and breakthrough this unusual journey of dangerous path leading to life and death’s uncertainty prevailing in their daily living.
Breast Cancer Awareness & Prevention
The Breast Cancer Awareness helps; individual diagnosed with the cancerous disease should not be overwhelmed even though it is expected to feel overwhelmed as its impossible and hard to think straight, normal, and avoid the agony. Most patients have physical symptoms such as diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, and emotional shocks. These feelings are the natural impacts of the disease that has taken over them.
Hence, the way out is positivity, hope, resilience, courage, and endurance to be firmly held during such drastic times of anxiety and soaring pain. Otherwise, the situation will worsen rather than get better.
They should firmly hold to this fact that they should not let themselves down as the diagnosis doesn’t mean they are different individuals, but it is just a temporary journey for a while. They need to stay themselves, facing the physical and emotional challenges to overcome this tough time.
They should religiously focus on a healthy lifestyle, diet, and good rest. Exercise is again of the utmost importance as it beats fatigue and gives energy to the individual fighting cancer. As the treatment itself wipes out the energy. The most essential exercise types are yoga, walking, and maintaining strength determinately, as it will ease the side effects of heavy medicine treatments.
Exercise like jogging will greatly help Breast cancer-diagnosed individuals improve their current situation. Within the vicinity of Islamabad Blue Area, a remarkable rooftop jogging track is offered by Citadel 7, a project by Chakor Ventures. It provides a panoramic view of the city’s skyline; it is not a track just for jogging but a journey embracing an inspiring lifestyle that encourages people to start their day with an invigorating run, walk, or jog to retain energy, boost their immune, and get a peaceful retreat amidst the urban surrounding.
Citadel 7 offers this ideal rooftop jogging track designed for fitness, and serenity is especially encapsulated in the hustle and bustle of city life. It will bring joy to the Breast Cancer diagnosed patients, mainly the jogging within the open sky and captivating vistas around.
Comprehending the Progression of Breast Cancer: A Roadmap of the Path
Let us be aware of the progressing stages of this overwhelmingly diagnosed disease, and Breast Cancer Awareness is essential for better lifestyle maintenance. A thorough understanding of the stages is crucial for better planning for both the doctor and the patient. The doctor can determine the risks and the improvement spread of cancer and guide the course of actions to be initiated.
Let us figure out the several stages by exploring them in an easy-to-understand way;
T Categories: Describing the Tumor Size and Spread
- TX: The primary tumor size cannot be assessed.
- T0: No evidence of a primary tumor.
- Tis: Early-stage cancer that hasn’t formed a mass.
- T1: Tumor is 2 cm (about 3/4 inch) or smaller.
- T2: Tumor is larger than 2 cm but not more than 5 cm (2 inches).
- T3: Tumor is more than 5 cm.
- T4: Tumor of any size growing into the chest wall or skin, including inflammatory breast cancer.
N Categories: Assessing Lymph Node Involvement
- NX: Nearby lymph nodes cannot be assessed (e.g., removed previously).
- N0: No cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- N1: Cancer has spread to a small number of nearby lymph nodes.
- N2: Cancer has spread to more lymph nodes under the arm or nearby.
- N3: Cancer has spread extensively to many lymph nodes in the area.
M Categories: Identifying Distant Organ Spread
- M0: No sign of cancer spreading to distant organs.
- M1: Cancer has spread to distant organs, such as bones, lungs, brain, or liver.
These simplified descriptions are more straightforward to understand the cancer stages well.
Influencing Factors for Breast Cancer
The significant factors that risk and influence women to be prone to get cancer, even lack of Breast Cancer Awareness and the happening facts that cannot be changed are listed below.
- Genetic Mutation
- Getting Older
- Having Dense Breasts
- Reproductive History
- Personal History of Breast Cancer
- Family History of Ovarian Cancer or Breast Cancer
Also, let us study the symptoms & signs of this dangerous disease that should be diagnosed as soon as possible, either with self-testing, consulting a family doctor, or seriously monitoring self-health.
- Pain/tenderness in any of the breasts.
- Swelling in armpit or near collar bone.
- Unusual discharge.
- Breast changes include temperature, difference in size, color, texture, contour, burns, and development of sores.
- Around the skin, the appearance of a marble that feels different than either of the breasts.
A Healthy Diet: A key ingredient in Reducing Breast Cancer Risk
“You are what you eat, so let your diet reflect strength, vitality, and a commitment to preventing breast cancer.”
Even though it is a fact that there is no such particular food item that will help the diagnosed get rid of this heart-wrenching disease, yes, the best, healthy, and immunity-boosting diet will help the patient significantly maintain overall health and reduce the risk to great extent. As the diet plays a vital role in cancer prevention. A good diet accounts for about 30% to 40% of all cases reduction.
Some of the initial and primary diet modifications are listed here.
- Consume at least 5 cups of fruits and vegetables variety daily.
- Restrict daily fat consumption to no more than 30 grams.
- Avoid/reduce red meat consumption. Find alternatives for protein intake.
The best measure is to keep consulting a doctor, doing daily self-evaluation and assessment, and quickly addressing a doctor if one faces an uncertain condition or something unusual in an appearance on the body.
