Lumps and bumps

It's been kind of a stressful week around our house. On Sunday night, my mother came over and told me that a lump had been found in her breast during an examination. My mom's grandmother, mother and sister had breast cancer, so our family is considered to have a very strong genetic risk. (Fortunately, my aunt is a breast cancer survivor!) We all know that we're at risk, and we all take it very seriously. My mother and I are even in a high risk clinic that gives us extra screening throughout the year, and that's where this lump was discovered.

However, while it's one thing to know your family is at risk for breast cancer, it's quite another to hear Your.Mother.Found.A.Lump. Just the news of that made my heart stop. To be perfectly honest, I haven't been able to blog this week because I wasn't willing to put that into writing. Putting it on the blog just made it seem too real. And, if it was real, I had to actually think about what that might mean. And thinking about what that might mean was just too scary.

This past week has made me really feel for my mom. My grandmother died from breast cancer when I was 10 years old. That means my mom was around 37. That's only 3 years older than I am now. It wasn't until this week that I realized how truly unfair that was for my mother. I can tell you for certain that at this point in my life, I need my mother around. I need her to be here to watch my little girl grow up. I need her to help me continue to grow up. I can't even begin to imagine my life without her. I've cried many tears this week just thinking about it.

Fortunately, yesterday my mother had a mammogram and ultrasound that showed that her breasts are all clear. No cancer. Everything's good. I thank God for that. And, I thank Him for reminding me how precious our lives and the lives of those we love are, and that we should never take them for granted.

I also found out this week that I myself have to go in for another breast biopsy. I had a breast MRI done last month, and they saw some suspicious tissue near my previous biopsy site. While I was terrified the last time I had to go for a biopsy, I've been so worried about my mother this week, that I really haven't worried much about me. It's funny how that works. I actually have a higher BIRADS score this time and they didn't even give me the option of whether I wanted the biopsy or not, just told me I had to come in for it. But, this time, I'm not nearly as nervous about it. Of course, I've also convinced myself that they're just seeing scar tissue from the previous biopsy. I just hope I'm not wrong!

My biopsy is set for this Tuesday. Please send extra prayers up for us.