How aware of breast cancer do you really want to be?

Do you want to see a woman with only one boob? Maybe you don't want to be that aware. (How about that for spooky?)

Remember when it was daring to go without a bra? What if women with breast prostheses didn't wear them in October? 

How aware do you really want to be?

Sadly, far too many are aware of breast cancer already, one way or another.  Me, I'm living through it a second time. Sort of. My cancer was sooooo 2019. Among the other challenges 2020 has brought, I am facing reconstruction of the same breast for a second time. 

The implant didn't fail, my skin did. A spontaneous wound appeared exposing the implant to contamination which meant the implant had to be removed. I could theorize as to exactly why a wound such as this might occur but the most basic of answers is the skin tissue was too thin, weakened when a hematoma was drained at that location less than a week after last year's mastectomy.

Rare, they say.

Hopefully, awareness will bring change. Actually dollars, one hopes, for research, for a cure. My challenges are relatively small (pun intended). I want to bring awareness in a different way - one that isn't pink and cheerful. I don't really want to be a part of this survivor/warrior/I-kicked-cancer's-ass club. 

Oh, I'm surviving. Better than that, I'm thriving and to be honest, I feel great in my own skin. Far better than I expected I would. For the first time in my life, I feel comfortable not wearing a bra. My husband's regret is that I didn't discover this freedom back when I had two boobs.

I'm discreet in public so don't worry about being too aware of breast cancer in the grocery store, say. But I might be wearing a hoodie that says "Uniboober" on it. Or, "one headlight." Or glasses that read, "My boobs were down there."

Sorry, breast cancer isn't funny. But at some point, one gets tired of crying. If you're facing now, I hope you're hanging in there.