Cancer Center Monday

One Monday morning each month I teach a class at the Community Cancer Center to women (usually) who have breast cancer.  The topic is Lymphedema Prevention.  But we get onto other topics as well.  Yesterday we had a group discussion about whether it is less irritating to shave your armpits with a straight razor or an electric razor.  Answer:  less irritating not to shave at all.   But not shaving is not an option for most of us. 

One of the highlights of the class is when I pass around a medical illustration of the lymphatic system, which happens to be a drawing of a naked man.  It is not exactly a complete naked man.  He is missing his feet.  But no one has ever commented on that aspect of the diagram.  No, the comments are usually something like:

"I thought it would be bigger."

"I haven't seen a naked man in 17 years!"  (This from a 90 year old who resides in a nursing home.)

"Hmmm."

Sometimes there is a particularly sad situation, such as the woman who had breast cancer at the same time her husband was battling pancreatic cancer.  They were both in their 40's.  Two young kids.    Or the woman whose insurance covered her surgery then refused to pay for chemotherapy.  Life can be damned unfair sometimes.  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. 

I have women come through the class who have had breast cancer 10 or 15 years ago on one side, then develop it on the other side after all that time.  I have young women, women who are older and haven't seen a naked man in years, women in between, short women, tall women, skinny women, chubby women, married, single, mothers, grandmothers, brown-skinned women, pale-as-the-moon women, nurses, accountants, social workers, stay-at-homers, realtors, lawyers, and lots of retirees.

The one thing they have in common?  They are all beautiful!