Let’s talk about something that women should pay absolutely top priority attention to – the topic of breast cancer! After all, October is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There’s no better time than now to celebrate all those women warriors who have beat breast cancer. These women are our role models! They are the ones who have survived and come out victorious at the end of it. If you are wondering how they managed to do it, here is the insight: a regular self-examination of breasts. After all, early detection does save lives.
On the Go
It’s no secret that women today are forces to reckon with. They’re independent, driven, and wholly capable. If that’s not all, most are seen multitasking and balancing a lucrative career while managing their homes and raising a family. Naturally, that means they seldom find and dedicate time to themselves. In fact, busy schedules spell neglect and hence taking even 10 minutes out of the daily schedule seems like quite a task.
But you should know that breast cancer is easily treatable if spotted early, and there are many symptoms that you can keep an eye out for. Symptoms of breast cancer include change in breast shape, skin colour, a persistent rash or irritation around your breasts, etc. However, the one most commonly talked about, and prominent symptom, is the formation of the lump in your breasts. These lumps can be detected through regular self-examination. So, wouldn’t it be easier if there was a tool that could not only encourage and motivate women to perform breast self-examination but also guide them in doing so? Earlier this year, SBI Life teamed up with Women’s Cancer Initiative – Tata Memorial Hospital, to launch Thanks A Dot, a free of cost and easy to use self-training module to help the women of India inculcate the habit of self-examination. An empowering move indeed!
Credit Afsha – @beingmomtastic
Think Pink
A regular self-testing habit is a woman’s most powerful tool. And now, with the Thanks A Dot kit, this practice has been made easy and efficient. All you need is to take 10 minutes out of your daily schedule to examine your breasts. To make matters simpler, the ‘Thanks A Dot’ kit comes with a step-by-step guide on how you can self examine your breasts. The kit consists of 3D silicon forms that take their shape & size from real mammograms, to train your fingers on real lump detection at early stages of potential breast cancer. Moreover, the kit is built around active learning by tactile puzzle-solving to help make you comfortable and motivate you to make this a regular activity, and finally take that well deserved ‘me time’.
All you need to do is to take 10 minutes out of your morning schedule or your bedtime schedule for the examination. Or you could take time out, perhaps on a weekend, when you may be relatively free. You could also set a monthly reminder on your mobile to “It’s time for a breast examination with Dr. You.” Teaming up with your bestie could be another way of remembering to perform a self-examination.
credit: Namratha – @my_closetdiary
Words of Wisdom
“Do not fight cancer, conquer it!” This is the battle cry of Neerja Malik, a 64-year-old two-time breast cancer survivor, founder of Apollo Cancer Support Group, Chennai, and Pinkathon ambassador, who sat with us to tell us about her experience. She was first diagnosed in 1998. “Back then, there wasn’t much importance given to self-examination. But now, after so many years of experience in dealing with cancer, and counselling so many patients, I have learned one thing: your body is your temple, and isn’t the temple cleaned every day? Similarly, regular self-examination will help you get familiar with the contours of your body and will help you in detecting if there is any abnormality.” She adds, “All women are shakti, so don’t put yourself on the backburner. When it comes to us, we say things like, ‘It will go away,’ or ‘I don’t have the time.’ Women should learn to prioritize themselves and give themselves the importance that they deserve. If we look after ourselves, the world around us is taken care of.”
The Beginning
There’s no denying that breast cancer is on the rise today, particularly for young women. This is why women must be their own soldiers, their own protectors, their own knights in shining armor. All of this starts with making regular check-ups or self-examination a habit. 10 minutes of your time a month can help you stay self-prepared to detect that lump early, paving the way to a healthier and happier life. So, visit SBI Life and order your free Thanks a Dot kit today. Let’s pledge to take care of ourselves and make a collective effort to win this battle against breast cancer. Why fear the lump when you can thank a dot!
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