Apanhe-o cedo, pague-o para a frente

Olá! Chamo-me Becky. É muito bom estar aqui.

Sobre mim

I’m a sailor, adventure cyclist, doting aunt & dog-mom, and aspiring (read: very much flailing) DIYer in a 130-year-old fixer-upper on the NY-Canadian border. Professionally, I’ve been a scrappy full-stack marketer since the mid-oughts, working with tech startups and small businesses in the travel, education, and creative industries.

Learning My Lemons

No final de outubro de 2020, reparei numa mancha de pele de aspeto estranho, o que parecia ser uma reação alérgica estranha, abaixo da minha clavícula. Atribuí o facto a uma camisola nova e esqueci-me do assunto. Quando persistiu, fiz o que qualquer millenial mais velho faria e descrevi-a ao Google. (Creio que a minha pergunta era bastante sofisticada: "pele da mama estranha".) Num mar de diagramas médicos intimidantes, apareceu-me uma caixa de ovos de aspeto alegre com doze limões amarelos brilhantes sobre um fundo magenta alegre. Que divertido! E depois, claro, ficou registado. Reconheci o meu sintoma, que nem sequer sabia que era um sintoma. Marquei uma consulta com o meu médico de família. E lá se foram as corridas, certo?

– BUT WAIT, there’s more.

When I saw my primary doc for a physical exam, she tried and failed to calm my concerns and send me packing. “No lump, you’re fine!” Ok, so then what were her theories as to the cause of this curious skin texture, which happens to be a lesser-known symptom of breast cancer? “But you’re under 40!” Are people under 40 immune to cancer now?? After more pushback, I went so far as to offer to Venmo her for the cost of the mammogram, as she must be footing the bill to be so heavily invested in my not getting one. ...I got the referral I needed for a scan. And although my tumors were under a centimeter, the cancer had already made its way to several lymph nodes – breast cancers in younger women tend to be more aggressive, I've since learned.

I had no idea that there are not one, not two, but twelve breast cancer symptoms. ONLY because of Know Your Lemons did it even occur to me to make that initial appointment. ONLY because of Know Your Lemons did I have the knowledge-fueled hutzpah to push back against a doctor and advocate for myself. Because of Know Your Lemons, throughout a year that included surgery, four months of chemo and six weeks of radiation, my oncological team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute would remind me: “You caught it early.” Words I clung to, and words I know more people will hear because of Know Your Lemons.

Branching Out, Planting Seeds

Once my treatment was well underway, I messaged Corrine on LinkedIn to say thank you. I met the brilliant women behind Know Your Lemons, slept for a year or so, reconnected, and now we’re off to the races. Two weeks in, I’m so impressed with this team, the network of volunteers, and supporters. I can’t wait to see what we can do in 2024 and beyond.

Gostou desta história? Vamos certificar-nos de que mais mulheres podem contar histórias como esta. ⤵️