Those of you who have been following Tough Cookie Mommy for a while know that cancer advocacy is a cause that I am deeply committed to. As a Leukemia Survivor, I know all too well the importance of being proactive about my health and the medical care that I receive. Additionally, I also educate myself on the foods that I eat as well as what I expose my body to on a daily basis. In my role as a parent, I have also worked hard to impart this awareness on to my children. Since this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is fitting that we should discuss how we can attempt to lower the risk of breast cancer by having these important conversations with our daughters, our nieces and the other women in our lives. We all try to help our children grow up healthy. But the environment around a young girl may change the way her body develops. It is too soon to say for sure that avoiding certain chemicals or foods lowers the risk of breast cancer. Still, to help protect our … [Read more...]
Keeping The Spice In your Marriage After Having Kids #ScrapTheSoap @Lubrigyn #Ad
As my sons are getting older, my husband and I are realizing the importance of making time for each other as a couple. Most of us have children and dedicate ourselves entirely to being their parents while forgetting that we should also focus on our relationships at the same time. After all, kids grow up and eventually make their own lives, as is the natural order of things. So it makes sense that couples make an effort to keep the spice in their marriage after having children. This is not as easy as it sounds since parenting is a full-time job. Add to that balancing work, the household, and having some couple time becomes virtually impossible. The reality is that, even though we love our kids, it's crucial that we have our own time to reconnect and interact romantically. This process has definitely been a learning experience and we have gotten really creative when it comes to keeping things steamy and spicy. Here … [Read more...]
Regain Your Freedom And Get Your Life Back! #Underwareness @Depend #Ad
It is the embarrassing little secret that most women don't want to talk about because nobody wants to admit that they suffer from it. The reality is that bladder leakage is a condition that affects millions of people, especially mothers who often experience this after childbirth. I personally have dealt with this problem since having children and it's not something that other mothers warned me about when I was pregnant. Truthfully, not only is it embarrassing but it can be really uncomfortable too when it happens in public places. Sometimes all it takes is a cough or a sneeze to cause some leakage and it is really important to always be prepared for it because it can be absorbed through your clothes and you do have to worry about odors and hygiene as a result of it. Thankfully, Depend is available for people of all ages which is great considering that more people with bladder leakage are in their 20’s than their 80’s! I have to be honest, when I first realized that … [Read more...]
Spread Breast Cancer Awareness In Your Community! @PGEveryday #PGBestDefense #Giveaway
Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with SheSpeaks and P&G. However, all opinions expressed are my own. One in eight women will get breast cancer in her lifetime. This is certainly a very sobering thought. It could affect any one of us or the women who we know and love in our lives. Sadly, death rates are much higher among African American and Latina women. Every hour and a half, a Latina woman dies of breast cancer in the United States. Have I got your attention now? I'm sure that you have been inundated with breast cancer awareness messages this month but the one message that I want you to receive is that early detection saves lives! Due to medical advances that have been made in modern times, the five year survival rate for women who are diagnosed during the early stage is 98%. Without a doubt, early detection is the best defense against breast cancer. As you are all aware, fighting cancer is one of my main priorities … [Read more...]
The Dreaded Mammogram Callback
As many of you know, I went in to have my first mammogram last week after I was advised to do so by my gynecologist due to my paternal great grandmother having had breast cancer. It was supposed to be just a screening and, although the technician warned me that many women get callbacks after their first exam, I didn't really expect that it would be anything but normal. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that easy so I received a letter from the imaging place over Labor Day weekend asking me to return for a follow-up mammogram. The letter said that there was a "finding" that they wanted take further images of. It was terrifying and I couldn't help feeling that I was part of a cruel joke. You see, I'm only 36 so I was expecting everything to be alright because most women don't even have to have a mammogram until they turn 40. Also, I'm already living with Leukemia so the thought of having to deal with a secondary cancer is just too much to even have to wrap my head around. … [Read more...]
I Had My First Mammogram!
This past week, I scheduled my yearly appointment at they gynecologist to get a pap smear before going back to work in September. Prior to being examined, I answered a series of routine questions about my health and the medications that I am currently taking in order to get my doctor up to date on everything. One of the questions asked if there is a history of breast cancer in my family and I remembered to jot down that my paternal great-grandmother died from it. It never occurred to me that this would bring up the whole issue of having a mammogram with my gynecologist. After all, women don't have to start having them until they are forty, right? Apparently I was wrong because my doctor explained to me, as we debriefed in her office after my physical exam, that she likes to schedule an initial mammogram consultation for patients who are 35 if they have any kind of family history of breast cancer. I was faced with the following choice: Have a mammogram now and … [Read more...]
