In May of 1999, at the age of thirty-seven, I went for my first mammogram and received a clean bill of health. Relieved and confident that I was simply being proactive in response to a strong family history of breast cancer, I was not overly concerned when upon doing a self-examination later that summer, I discovered something small and elongated in my left breast, similar to an inverted mammary duct. I did not realize that often the breast tissue of women under the age of 40 is too thick for an effective mammogram reading and that professional and self-examinations are extremely important for early detection in young women. Also, the lump was not the traditional round, pea shape I associated with breast cancer. I monitored the lump over the next few months, and in December when it had not gone away and may have even become larger, I went to the doctor for reassurance that it was nothing.

Unfortunately that was not the case. Within 36 hours from diagnosis I was in surgery and faced the strong probability of months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Following my pre-op consultation, I realized that over the next few months I would be spending a considerable amount of time in bed and around the house. So I did what any red-blooded woman would do–I went shopping! I was in search of new, cozy, cheerful pajamas, which I found. However, unbeknownst to me, due to certain aspects of the surgery, I was unable to wear them for some time. I had to resort to wearing large, oversized, unattractive t-shirts that often left me chilly and feeling a bit frumpy. Also, traditional sleepwear obviously does not provide a secure place for a surgical apparatus such as drains associated with breast cancer surgery.

After several months of treatments I was given a clean bill of health. My Body was well on its way to being healed from surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. My hair had grown back enough that I no longer needed to wear hats. I had fought a good long fight, but the fight was not over. My focus had been on the diagnosis, the treatments, and the physical recovery from the treatments. I did not realize how challenging it was going to be to put the disease in the past and to move on with life. Due to the severity of the cancer, my age, and a strong family history, healing of my Mind and Spirit would require considerably more time.

I am a third-generation breast cancer patient, the youngest diagnosed and the longest survivor. Both my mother and grandmother passed away from breast cancer when they were in their early forties. Since my grandmother died some time before I was born, I knew very little about her illness. On the contrary, as a senior in high school I was well aware of my mother’s short battle with breast cancer. She was diagnosed at the age of forty-four and passed away within the year. At the time she was diagnosed, the cancer had metastasized throughout her body. She had a mastectomy and a hysterectomy and underwent radiation treatment. In hindsight, I believe her condition was terminal from the time of diagnosis.

Fortunately things have changed dramatically over the past twenty-five years since my mother’s diagnosis. Thanks to the tremendous amount of research, there have been amazing medical advancements, more effective drugs and treatments made available. And almost just as important as the medical advancements has been the increased awareness and acceptability of the disease. It is common place for men and women, the media, cities, states – everyone – to talk about breast cancer, pay tribute to those affected by it, as well as promote awareness and provide education. This open communication and acceptability has brought the disease to the forefront of most women’s minds at some point in their lives which has lead to a much earlier detection rate and therefore a much greater survival rate. My success in fighting this disease has been directly related to both of these factors, first early detection and then the tremendous medical advancements since my mother’s diagnosis.

And although it did take sometime for my Mind and Spirit to catch up to the healing of my Body, eventually I did. I began focusing on what was in my control, living, healing, creating… During the healing process of my Mind and Spirit, Comfort Wraps in its totality was created incorporating the ideas of healing a woman’s Body, Mind and Spirit. The sleepwear was created as a tool to provide a more direct means for women to focus on what is in their control and to help them find their inner peace and inner strength and achieve healing of the Body, Mind and Spirit.

Marlene Lally

marlenelally@comfortwraps.org