Body Image and Breast Cancer

I love taking the piss out of myself. I do not take myself serious as an individual at all. I know I have faults and those faults I tend to fixate on when really I should be using them. So recently I went rummaging through old bits of art work I had done in my twenties and came across a cartoon caricature of myself. Now the original was drawn by some else, but all those years ago I had changed it into various avatars for my MSN because I hated actual photographic images of myself. The original artist picked the faults on my face like the ridge in my nose that had been broken as a child. And the shape of my chin and blew them up BAM! In my face, but in defiance of shying away from the image drawn, I learned to celebrate those ugly parts realising early on that what I fixated on is not important. Actions tend to speak louder than words in my world.

My confidence has grown over many years and a few bashes. This has helped me get past the image I now see in the mirror from numerous surgeries to both breasts. I do not ignore or disguise my scars. I hate them, I resent them, but acceptance of such scars is hard to swallow, but I will not be pulled, pushed, cut or bruised into feeling I am less than the next person because my image does not fit the beauty persona society creates. The kindness of a good heart and the warmth of my soul will always shine that and being a stubborn shit that will not be stopped. I have learned to take me not so serious, but take the good parts of my personality and use them to the max. The numerous natural talents that I hold come in handy when expressing my true feelings to this disease.

And to finish of this blog post I have corrected and improved an image someone posted on my FB page. I thought it needed some extra info added on the symptoms of breast cancer this included links. Awareness is not just about checking your breasts it is about understanding your body and its changes. I believe in the natural instinct that tells you something is not right, the internal kick up the arse that we tend to ignore. 

So please, please if in doubt shout!

Do not leave it because you think you are alright. It is better to face up than ignore these subtle changes that could mean pushing up the daisies or being with your family. In other words, ‘It is better to be safe than sorry.’