As part of its Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign, #PinkIsPower, Angara Jewelry encouraged all the brave-hearted cancer warriors, survivors and caregivers to come forward and share their stories that’ll inspire others to speak up and fight this deadly disease. We were overwhelmed by the response and couldn’t help but celebrate this particular one.
Betty Evans was approaching the first anniversary of losing her sister to colon cancer when she started having an overwhelming feeling that she was dying.
“I was consumed with the thought that something was wrong with me. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I was dying,” she explains. A self-described ‘apathetic’ when it comes to scheduling regular doctor visits, she chose to wait and observe some more. But the feeling was unshakable. “I couldn’t sleep and started having constant anxiety attacks (which I’ve never had before),” and that’s when she decided to take professional help.
After receiving almost completely normal lab reports ordered by her doctor, Betty was told it could just be depression considering everything she had been through in the past year. She could hardly believe what she was hearing at the time because she had been grieving her sister’s death, yes, but she had never really felt depressed. Moreover, she had been in the pink of health most of her life and also managed to squeeze in four days of exercise every week.
“It wasn’t enough for me. I KNEW something was wrong.”
Finally, the doctor ordered more tests including a mammogram and Pap test since Betty had missed them the year before due to COVID. Moments later, she was called back for an ultrasound checkup due to the presence of dense breast tissue. Several days after, as she was browsing through her emails, one of them said something that changed her life forever: she had two different types of breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) – HER2-positive, one of which the mammogram could not even detect due to its location near the sternum. We could only imagine how this news must’ve instantly turned Betty’s life on its head.
It’s been a year and she has finished her last treatment—but her journey was far from smooth. She had to go through a year of chemotherapy, six weeks of daily radiation and multiple surgeries, not to mention the hair loss and weight gain hassles that often accompany such cancer treatments.
“I still have to go through breast reconstruction. But I have won,” a brave and stronger Betty exclaims and we couldn’t agree more!
We’re so proud that Betty Evans chose this platform to share her experience and inform others how important it is for women to get checked regularly, especially if there’s a history of cancer in the family. “I didn’t have any signs of breast cancer, just a feeling in my gut,” she explains. “If you feel like something is wrong, please speak up for yourself. Keep fighting.”
This is your sign to get yourself and your loved ones checked for breast cancer. According to recent reports, breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women and is estimated to cause 43,550 deaths in the United States alone this year.
Now, we know that everybody’s gut feeling may not be as accurate as Betty’s. However, with the power of knowledge and a regular reminder of breast cancer examination, we can defeat this deadly disease together.
Here Are 6 Signs of Breast Cancer That Deserve Your Immediate Attention:
Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month
While there are numerous ways to get involved in breast cancer awareness month, wearing pink is one of the easiest. However, at Angara, we urge you to join forces by choosing to wear or gift something as precious as a pink gemstone jewelry piece to honor survivors and empower each other to battle breast cancer. After all, #PinkIsPower!
