like a diamond ...: photographing my breasts

Sunday, November 18, 2007

photographing my breasts

I had John take a photo of my breasts today. Outside by the pool. I don’t know why I’m so attached to them. I’m 57 years old, and my breasts do look like old lady breasts. They have fallen. The one on the right is bruised all over and distorted from the biopsies that they have done.

And yet I still find something beautiful in the roundedness, and the balance.

like a diamond ...

Before the mastectomy, I saw an MRI image of my invasive breast cancer on a computer screen. This was the day before they did the MRI-guided biopsy. There was nothing vague about it – it looked clear and defined, bright and shiny – like a diamond. When I saw it, I did not know that it was cancer, and I asked the Dr. what else it could be. Oh, a density of fibrous tissue or something, he said. All I knew was that it was different from everything around it, and I have come to trust that my breast cancer is, indeed, some kind of treasure.

Though I write honestly, and sometimes perhaps flippantly and cynically, about my experiences with breast cancer and the medical system, I mean no disrespect to the professionals who treat me. I am incredibly grateful for their knowledge and skills, their very hands(!) – and I am humbled by the way they dedicate their lives (and days and nights) to the health and care of our bodies (my body!). The personalities of my doctors and their assistants, with all of their human variations, truly do bless and charm me.