I got diagnosed with Breast Cancer Stage 1 two months back and and am postmastectomy and a breast reconstruction surgery with a TRAM flap.  More than what I went through what strikes me is what I did not have to go through.  Every time I walk in to see my doctor and see women weak with no hair and looking dangerously fragile and sad, my heart stops as it could have been me too sitting there.  I dont know where life takes me from here but for now, I just feel fortunate that I am not a young mother sharing those chairs.  Even as these thoughts cross me, there are stronger thoughts that haunt me about the number of women in India who are completely unware about breast cancer. 

Even though breast cancer has one of the fastest growing cancer rates in India, the awareness level among women is so so little.  In the west women do breast self-exams and mammograms routinely.  In India, even among the educated women, you would hardly have 1 in 100 knowing what a breast self-exam is let alone doing it regularly.

Today I rummage the web on info about cancer, only because I have it, till I knew I had it, I really must say I did not ever think I could get cancer.  Everyone always thinks of "that unfortunate person who got diagnosed with cancer".  Or sit pretty because "No one in my family has cancer" ...HUH I wont believe that one anymore, because no one in my remotest family history had cancer either... No one ever thinks of any steps to take so that they do not happen to be that unfortunate person.  Breast cancer is one cancer which  can be detected real early and treated real well too...

What I am trying to say is how do we get young women start thinking of cancer, let them know cancer is not preventable, but that breast cancer can surely be detected early and cured?  Cancer sounds such a dangerous word to everyone, but we need to remove that fear and get our facts right.  How do we start every women to think in terms of routinely doing a breast exam to start with???