To quote Dharma Freedom Filklestein Montgomery, “Mammogram!! It sounds like something that should be delivered, doesn’t it?”

It’s that time of year ladies. The time when we make our yearly appointments to have our breasts pressed into a thin, transparent form. None of us like to do it. It’s uncomfortable, awkward and a real inconvenience. And here’s where the lecture comes in.

Every woman I know makes excuses about why they can’t get it done. I’m here to tell you that there IS no excuse for disregarding your health. By NOT having a yearly mammogram after the age of 40 if ANY woman in your direct family has had breast cancer, you are potentially taking your life in your hands.

It’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We all know someone (or knows someone who knows someone else) who has had breast cancer. Some women, like my two aunts and my mother, have come through it just fine and have been cancer free for decades.

Other women like my friend, let’s call her Hanna to protect her identity, aren’t so fortunate. Hanna developed breast cancer and opted for a natural treatment route. Unfortunately, it was ineffective and the cancer spread. Somehow, using something called Black Salve, she got rid of the tumor and she went into remission for about 5 years.

Unfortunately, she didn’t get the entire growth because it came back with a vengeance the second time. It spread into her  arm rendering it useless. The cancer grew in such a way that the doctors would have had to remove her arm to remove the cancer. It wasn’t long before it spread throughout her body including her brain. She has had two brain surgeries. But there is just too much in too many places in her body. She is now in hospice and may not live to see this Christmas.

The bright spot is that she made it to her goal. She wanted to live long enough to see her daughter graduate from high school. She made that goal Her daughter graduated this past June.

So please ladies… Suck it up and deal. Get it done. It’s only once a year. MAKE time. It may just save your life.