National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Now, as a 24 year old, I'm not too concerned with Breast Cancer. At the same time, every time I go to the doctor's office, most of the time they ask me: "Do you make sure to do self breast exams monthly?" Apparently, it's something I should be doing.

So today I went to check my mail and realized that because was fall break, no one had sorted the mail! We had three large bags of unsorted mail, and 50 gazillion boxes/packages everywhere. So as any good Assistant Rector would do, I dutifully set out to sort the mail so that when our residents return tonight / tomorrow (ND vs. BC tomorrow! Watch for me at the game!!! A friend gave me her ticket =) ) their mail will be in their boxes! (And also to see if I had gotten anything...)

Anyway, so I'm going through the mail, pulling out catalogues that are STILL coming in for residents who graduated six years ago... trying to figure out what to do with oversize envelopes that don't fit in people's mail boxes, etc. and I stumble across a letter addressed to one of our residents - the outside has this ridiculous image of a young girl grabbing her chest and the slogan "Feel Your Boobies!" on it. At first I thought it was a little inappropriate. I was a little put off. "Really?" I said out loud. Then, lightening up, I thought it was a bit funny. I shoved it in her mailbox and went on with my sorting.

So then I sign on to my computer and MSN's top story is now that MEN are also suffering from BREAST CANCER. MEN! Who would have thought? I mean, there are ubiquitous jokes about "man boobs" - but I never really thought they could actually GET BREAST CANCER! Apparently, they can.

So this reminded me of the letter I saw while sorting mail and I decided to do a google search. Here's what I found! "Feel Your Boobies" is actually a website and a whole campaign to get young women to do breast exams (informal ones, which apparently are as effective as the official ones they try to teach you at the doctor's office!).

Here's a testimonial from one YOUNG, YOUNG WOMAN - I mean, she's only two years older than me! - whose life was saved by this ridiculous, a bit scandalous, and otherwise humorous campaign!:

“I recently saw a Feel Your Boobies car decal on my way to work and later that night in the shower, I remembered the decal and ended up finding a lump . . . If I hadn’t seen the decal who knows if I would have found the lump. Thank you for such a wonderful foundation.”
Julie, 26 years old – Middletown, PA

So go ahead, feel your boobies. It just might save your life.

http://www.feelyourboobies.com/

Also, check out the following verses which seem appropriate to the occasion:

Psalm 22:10
Proverbs 5:19
Song of Songs 4:5, 7:4, 7:7-9
Isaiah 49:15
Luke 11:27