This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I would like to honor my grandmother, Nancy Garrison, who is a breast cancer survivor. Her diagnosis came as a shock, especially since she has already had leukemia. 

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, breast cancer occurs when cancer cells form in the tissues of the breast. They have found that performing monthly self-exams of the breasts are a good way of spotting any unusual changes.  

A self-exam was how my grandmother was able to catch a change in her body, before it got any worse. 

“My hand was over my chest and I thought, ‘okay, I have a lump in my breast. I know this isn’t good.’ You might hope for a cyst, but probably not,” Garrison said. 

Nancy is 77 years old with three children and eight grandchildren. When she first found out that she had breast cancer, she did not tell any of her family, including myself. I did not find out that she was going through this until she was already undergoing treatment. After hearing about this, family members were concerned about her health.  

“I knew I had breast cancer, and then I really purposefully didn’t say anything to people.  

Another person might go, ‘oh my god I have to tell all my friends and family I have breast cancer.’ But I didn’t know what the deal was and I didn’t want to get them fussed up,” my grandmother said. 

I was not aware of the procedures that follow this diagnosis, but my grandmother knew what to do. She had already gone through cancer treatment when she had leukemia, so she knew the steps that she needed to take.  

She began by scheduling an appointment with her primary doctor. 

“I knew I was gonna have to have a lumpectomy to remove the lump and I knew that would require radiation,” Garrison said. 

A lumpectomy is a less invasive surgery to remove cancer from the breast, as stated on Komen.org. It only removes the tumor instead of all breast tissue. Radiation is performed after a lumpectomy, according to the Mayo Clinic, to reduce the risk that the cancer will return. 

My grandmother went through with her lumpectomy procedure followed by a series of radiation treatments for six weeks. These procedures were successful in eliminating all of the breast cancer from the affected area.  

Today, Nancy is breast cancer-free. 

A pink ribbon is the symbol used to represent breast cancer and to raise awareness. I choose to show support for this cause by wearing pink during October. In the past, I have also gone on walks for breast cancer awareness.  

College-aged women should make it a habit to perform breast self-exams to catch any changes early on and receive follow-up care as soon as possible. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, women should perform self-exams at least once a month to check for any new lumps or changes in appearance. Additional methods of detection can be completed through a mammogram screening or a visit to the gynecologist.