Why Did I Get Breast Cancer?

How many times have you heard someone say, “Why did I get breast cancer? There is no history of it in my family. I am the only one that I know of who is in this situation. I must have done something to deserve this. I must be a bad person. I must be being punished by God for things that I have done in the past.” This litany goes on and on and the person is so low that there seems to be nothing that you can do or say to make a difference or help them to understand that a person does not get breast cancer because retribution is being sought on them.

“We just have to start being kinder and gentler to ourselves in order to live the healthiest lives possible.”Barbara Jacoby

Of course, if we knew or understood why and how a particular person gets breast cancer, we would be able to come up with a cure or a perfect treatment or a way to prevent it in the first place. If it were because of our diets, we could just change them and all would be well. If it was because we don’t get enough exercise, then we could start a new regimen and be all healed. If it were because we were not religious enough then every person who is religious would never have to worry about getting it in the first place. But, we all know people who seem to lead the perfect healthy lifestyle who also seem to have the perfect life, who have no history of breast cancer in their families and yet they still end up getting the disease. So the logical thing to do seems to be to consider these factors but understand that there is so much more that we don’t understand so that we don’t buy into every new story we hear on a daily basis.

Bottom line is we don’t know why we get breast cancer. Just as we hear one week that coffee is bad for us and then the next week we hear of a new study that it is good for us, so it is with similar stories that apply to breast cancer. For as long as I can remember, I heard that eating fish while pregnant was bad for the unborn child but after all of these decades of that being the case, the latest study suggests that pregnant women and young children should be eating more fish. We hear that all sorts of exercise programs are really great after breast cancer or helping in preventing it but most of the time we are hearing that from someone who is trying to market their program to us so that they can make a lot of money. Many don’t care if what they claim is true because if they do it right, they will have sold enough programs or equipment or whatever to make a fortune before anyone gets around to proving that what they are saying isn’t really true or valid.

I believe that it is time for all of us to start thinking for ourselves and not letting all of the best marketers run our lives. If we have concerns that things that we are doing in our lives are not healthy then we should discuss that with the real expert and that is our doctors. No person, even the very best in the medical field, has all of the answers but you can bet that what is suggested to you by a qualified medical person who knows you and all of the specific facts about your personal health situation is in a better position to help you make changes that may be warranted. But, even then, learning how to enjoy your life each day in all arenas is the only way that you can truly be healthy. And if we don’t know what to do, just ask God Almighty for help and guidance.When you learn to appreciate that it takes a balance of everything around you and not abusing yourself in any mental or physical way then you will understand that nothing else that anyone says or does is not relevant to you. We just have to start being kinder and gentler to ourselves in order to live the healthiest lives possible.