We always trumpet early detection as the key to beating breast cancer… so we love the incredibly creative solution one survivor has thought of to remind women to complete their monthly breast self-exams.
Imagine reaching into your linen closet and pulling out a fluffy white bath towel, embroidered with a pink ribbon and instructions to “F… It. Feel It. Find It. Fight It.” Now, if that doesn’t catch your attention and remind you to perform your self-exam, nothing will!
The towels are the brainchild of Karen Vilord, a North Carolina mother of three. After watching her own mother fight breast cancer twice, Karen was vigilant about performing her own self-exams. In August 2011, she found a lump. A mammogram and a biopsyThe removal and examination of tissue from a living body to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease. confirmed her fears: she had breast cancer, and an aggressive form at that.
However, thanks to her early detection and swift treatment, including a double mastectomyAn operation removing all or part of the breast., Karen’s cancer was quickly reduced to stage 0 non-invasive, securing her place in the sisterhood of breast cancer survivors. On the Feel It, Find It, Fight It website, Karen describes how the experience changed her:
“I had to believe that I was experiencing this for some larger purpose, perhaps to help others in some way. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to wake up and forget everything I have been through, but I can’t and I won’t. I choose NOT to forget but to remember every day and to “REMIND” as many women as I can reach to F… It! Feel It. Find It. Fight It.”
The slogan started as a creative name for her team in a breast cancer race, but is now the name of Karen’s own “awareness with attitude” organization. In addition to the ingenious reminder towels, the catchy title adorns T-shirts and baseball caps. We love Karen’s spirit and her mission to encourage all women to feel, find, and fight their way to health!
How do you remember your own monthly self-exams? Calendars? Email alerts? Our very own early detection Alarm Clock? Share your favorite tips in the comments below!