Gee, it just keeps getting worse and worse for PR mogul Roxy Jacenko. First, her husband Oliver Curtis is put behind bars for an Insider Trading scam. Now she has discovered a lump on her breasts. Turns out that the lump was sinister and she’s since been diagnosed with breast cancer.
In 2003, more women were prompted to undergo a mammogram, after Australia’s darling Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with the dreaded disease.
Eerily enough, both Roxy and Jacenko were both 36. It is apparently more rare for women under 40 to contract this disease. “On average, 800 women under this age bracket are diagnosed per year” (Smh, 2016). There is a much higher chance of getting breast cancer around the 65-69 age mark; according to Cancer Australia statistics 2016.
It doesn’t help that Jacenko’s mother Doreen Davis had the same disease a decade ago. Thankfully a mastectomy saved her life. Cancer Council Australia CEO, Professor Sanchia Aranda put it bluntly when she said; “Those woman at risk of breast cancer are women who have breasts” (SMH, 2016). Lets hope there’s a Roxy effect, and, that more women get their breasts checked.
Some warning signs to watch out for include changes to the nipple (including the shape, redness, a tenderness, a discharge or inverted shape). The size of the breast can either decrease and increase in size, it’s a case by case basis and not the same for any two women. It’s easy to be tender at that time of the month but if you notice an un-usual pain targeted at specifically one breast, don’t brush it off. Head to your doctor for peace of mind (SMH, 2016).
