The 'As You Read This' series chronicles my experience of finding a lump in my breast at 23 years old and again at 31 years old.
Deep Breath.
Eight years ago I wrote the As You Read This series which chronicled my experience of first discovering a lump in my right breast to my first attempt to have it removed in October 2010. When that first attempt failed, I followed up with a second biopsy a year later and found out that the lump was a benign fibroadenoma. I was 23 at the time and it was the most stressful thing I'd ever experienced.
Writing has always been my go-to when obstacles in my life feel too hard to keep in my head. Eight years ago I took to my blog to write about what felt like an impossible experience, not only to help myself but to possibly help others who might be struggling with the same scary thing and felt too afraid to talk about it. I was 23 years old. I never anticipated that I’d be scheduling mammograms and ultrasounds in between homework and college classes.
Now, eight years later, at 31 years old, I’m revisiting the As You Read This series because just two days ago, during a routine breast exam, my doctor felt another lump in my breast and though my first instinct was to cry (and believe me, I cried), my other first instinct was to write, again not just for me but maybe for you, too.