By Joelle Cleo Valente
Episode 1 - THE SQUATTER -
1 - My routine self check - How it all started
In October 2023, coming back from a run, I noticed a little bump on the top right side of my breast when taking a shower. It was barely visible to the naked eye, no pain or discomfort were noted. Puzzled, I tried to make sense of this intruder by recalling an incident on my right shoulder a week prior as a possible explanation.
Keeping a positive mindset and pushing away the thought of “could it be the ‘C’ word?” I phoned my primary care physician, a no-nonsense, old fashioned woman that I trust and respect. She immediately ordered a mammogram/ultrasound, reassuring me that whatever it was, we will get to the bottom of it together and not to worry.
I rang a friend for the drive to the breast center located forty minutes away from my house to brighten the undertaking. The facility dealt exclusively with breast care, an impressive building with several wings that looks like a hospital and a waiting room full of anxious women waiting.
Overwhelmed and confused about my visit to such a place, I felt like an impostor intruding in other people’s business, thinking that’s a bit much for just a mammogram check up? Besides, I have never been sick in my life, and there is no “C” word in my family history. Of course I’ve had mammograms before, but the surroundings were more casual.
I needed to snap out of this twilight zone presto and be present mentally. I took a deep breath, grabbed a glass of water from the cooler and sat back waiting for my turn. A strong nudge from my friend Pam woke me out of my stupor. “Hey! they called your name twice already,” she whispered. “I’ll be outside waiting for you when you’re ready, chin up girl.”
2 - The exam - May the show begin