Not many of us here would have heard of Mieko Rye. I too had not until I chanced upon a Facebook post where speaks of her fight against breast cancer.
A little help from the internet and the Facebook post itself led me to understand that Rye is an American model by profession with 20 years of experience behind her.
In her post titled ‘My Cancer Journey', she recollects as to how when she started off, she never fit American concept of beauty. Nevertheless, she defied convention and went on to create a career for herself.
Rye, who is also a mum, is battling stage 3 breast cancer and is undergoing treatment for it. She says in her post that she no longer has the very body parts that culture defines as beauty, referring to her eyebrows, eyelashes and hair.
In an interview to ABC News, she said that during her chemotherapy she would avoid looking into the mirror because that’s how much she had changed.
However, the silver lining is that Rye has come to love the woman that she has become.
Here is what she said in her inspirational Facebook post:
Continue reading to know how Rye’s story is unfortunately the story of many Indian women
Spurt in breast cancer cases in India
A study shows that in India, breast cancer is the number one killer cancer among women. Between 1990 and 2013, breast cancer cases had jumped a whopping 166 percent.
While one cannot put a finger on what exactly causes breast cancer, there are certain risk factors associated with the disease, lifestyle changes and a family history of the disease being two of them. However, that does not mean a woman having a risk factor is sure to get the disease.
Time to time screening
Timely screening is a good way to identify cancer of the breast. Breast Cancer India recommends that every woman after the age of 20 must do a breast self examination. Once she crosses 40, she must undergo mammography every year.
Remember, if you notice any anomaly in your breasts or in surrounding areas, consult a doctor immediately. Do not fall for myths that you may have heard from someone or read somewhere.
Breast cancer can be physically, emotionally and financially draining. Identifying it early is the only way mitigate its devastating effects.
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