Forum Discussion
Breast Cancer and Women who have not had children
I am new here and just been diagnosed with stage 2 cancer. Been going through all the usual: How could this happen to ME with my lifestyle etc." Futile. Then a friend reminded me of the statistics of...
It really helps not to think of breast cancer as a punishment! For what? Not having children? Only having one child? Not breast feeding? Keeping fit? Not keeping fit? Not choosing your BC prone family more carefully? I remember a UK study about ten years ago which said that while some cancers have underlying reasons or triggers (genetic disposition, smoking) roughly half were bad luck. Cells multiplying - just the wrong way. I had no family history of cancer and breast fed for a year (OK, I’d have cheerfully done less, child had different ideas!).
Having cancer and treatment for it is demanding enough without thinking we have somehow brought it on ourselves. Even the obvious links are not givens - my grandfather smoked a pipe incessantly from his teens on. Think mouth, throat, lungs. Died of heart failure at 94, lived in robust good health his entire life. I’m not suggesting smoking is good for you, just that few things are absolute. There’s nothing fair or unfair about getting cancer, for anyone. So
best to treat yourself kindly, take good and sound advice, and look to recovery and the future. As they say, don’t look back, you are not going that way. Best wishes.
best to treat yourself kindly, take good and sound advice, and look to recovery and the future. As they say, don’t look back, you are not going that way. Best wishes.