THE STORY

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on April 7, 2004. I was 33, I ran marathons, ate well, and thankfully I felt my boobies! I wouldn’t necessarily say I did “self-breast exams” as they are traditionally defined, but I did feel my boobies during the course of my daily routine and because I did, I knew when something was different.

For the two years leading up to this diagnosis, I had noticed the small lump in my left breast.  It didn’t hurt or change very much, but I noticed it.  I was living in New York City at the time and when I would go to the doctors for normal checkups, I would wait for them to do their clinical exam of my breast to see if they would notice the lump on their own.  They didn’t.  It wasn’t until I held their hand and placed it on the lump that they noticed what I had felt on my own for some time.  For whatever reason, none of them felt it was something to be concerned with so I trusted their judgment and figured it was fine.

At some point during this two year period of time, I tired of the city lifestyle I had led for the previous 10 years and made a major decision to move back to Middletown, PA -- the small town where I grew up just outside of Harrisburg, PA.  I moved home a successful professional woman, but was single and 33, and with my childhood friends mostly being married I feared I had embarked on life as a spinster.  Just six months after buying a home and moving to PA, it was time for my annual exam.  It was at this exam where the nurse practitioner (forever my angel) suggested I go get a mammogram. 

Well, after a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, the results confirmed that it was Stage 1 cancer.  I had a lumpectomy, went through 12 weeks of chemo, 7 weeks of daily radiation which ended in October 2004, and finally will be taking the drug Tamoxifen until July of 2009 (an anti-estrogen medication to help minimize the risk of recurrence). 

I was so happy to be in my hometown with old friends and family, and all of the sudden the move back to my hometown made sense – in fact, it felt like fate.  During my treatment, I was lucky enough to be able to continue running with my friends and I would joke with them by saying you guys better “feel your boobies”.  I decided to make some t-shirts using the slogan just for fun and initially ordered 100 t-shirts figuring I’d be able to get rid of them somehow.  Three and a half years and 10,000 shirts later, that Feel Your Boobies Foundation has grown into an international campaign focused on a call to action for women to get in touch with their bodies.

My case is nearly 95% treatable because of the early detection. I'm very lucky and Feel Your Boobies is now my full-time endeavor and passion that allows me to tell my story to young women to spread the word about the importance of feeling your boobies and breast awareness, especially among the younger population where traditional breast cancer messages are often not targeted.

Right now, mammograms are targeted primarily for the 40 and over population. For women under 40, feeling your boobies is one of the primary ways to ensure early detection. The "feel your boobies" slogan has proven successful at getting the attention of this younger audience and has afforded them the opportunity to talk lightheartedly yet frankly about an issue that is often considered private or taboo. This conversation is healthy and provides the much needed awareness that will encourage young women to begin the lifelong, proactive habit of "feeling their boobies."

Here’s to healthy boobies!