October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there is no better way to educate and deter everyone from the dangers of breast cancer with an inspirational story of a celebrity who’s not only survived but thrived under the circumstances she’s been dealt with.
The year is 2005, and global pop icon Kylie Minogue was in the midst of taking the world by storm, when her world was turned upside down, after realizing that she had a lump in her breast.
Read more: K-Pop Star Highlight: Jessi
Given the All-Clear
The Australian songstress first felt a lump in her breast during a routine self-examination during her shower. Initially dismissing as nothing, she observed the lump growing each day and finally got a second opinion by going to the doctor for a proper checkup.
Albeit expressing initial relief when given the all-clear, Kylie had a niggling feeling the lump was not benign and there was more to it.
After a few days of deliberation and wanting to get that niggling doubt off her chest (literally), she went for a third opinion, with a breast cancer specialist instead of a general practitioner this time.
This time around, she was given the correct diagnosis – breast cancer.
Read more: Oh, the Hilarious Extremes Some Women Take to Keep Up With Beauty Trends!
Took it all in Her Stride
Refusing to wallow in the harsh reality of being diagnosed with cancer after being cleared of it initially, she took an immediate hiatus from show business to focus on her treatment and her recovery, all the while staying optimistic of her chances of beating it.
In the same year she got diagnosed, Kylie successfully underwent surgery to remove the cancerous lump and the treatment required, and has been cancer-free ever since.
More than 10 years since her remission, Kylie has come forward to admit that while she was so glad she wasted no time in nipping the problem in the bud, her diagnosis and the subsequent treatment she underwent has rendered her infertile.
“I don’t want to dwell on it, obviously, but I wonder what they (the kids she could have had) would have been like.”
Read more: Butt-ne: How to get rid of the new WFH phenomena, acne on the butt!
What We Can Learn
What we can take away from Kylie’s triumph over breast cancer is the heart and the positivity that she has exuded throughout her ordeal.
Her belief in her recovery was probably the push she needed to step out of the shadow of cancer in such a short time.
Other sobering realizations from her account is the fact that breast cancer can creep up on anyone of us at any time. Kylie was 36 at the time of her diagnosis, a relatively young age to be diagnosed with cancer, all things considered.
There is no such thing as ‘too early’ when it comes to the deterrence of breast cancer, it seems. Allocate some time for an occasional self-examination, and make sure full body check-ups are scheduled at least twice a year.
For all the female warriors that are already embroiled in the war with breast cancer, Kylie has shown us that she is living her best life, unencumbered by her past, and so can you.
Should the need for a mastectomy arise, never ever feel like you’re less of the woman you were before. There are ways to make you whole again – all you need to do is to reach out.
Read more: Is breast reconstructive surgery for me?