A Road to Bettering Stigmas About Breast Health
Jessica Baladad discovers ways of caring for your body and saving your life. The cancer survivor created “Feel For Your Life” to aid women with breast health.
The 36-year-old woman from Clarksville, Tennessee, survived a breast cancer battle and used her story for good. Over the pandemic, Baladad worked on an app that walks women through breast examinations. The app “Feel For Your Life” also tracks their progress and reminds women when to conduct the exam again.
Let’s go, Preds! But let’s go do your self exams, too, ladies! You can do your self breast exams in the shower, in the bed or in the mirror. #preds #hockeyfightscancer pic.twitter.com/rh1T4D8bsm
— Jessica Baladad (@Jessica_Baladad) February 23, 2019
Baladad noticed that not many women know how to perform breast exams nor understand how important it is to do the exam regularly. It wasn’t until college, Baladad had a scare that she realized it’s essential knowledge for all women.
She explains, “One in eight women statistically are, you know, they get breast cancer…but if it’s caught early enough, you know, your option.”
In March 2018, Baladad skipped one of her self-breast exams because she scheduled an appointment with a practitioner to have it checked out. Unfortunately, the practitioner failed to notice Baladad’s lump. Two weeks later, Baladad performed a self-breast exam and noticed the lump the practitioner didn’t. After going to the doctor, they confirmed Baladad had breast cancer.
Baladad describes, “I went through 16 rounds of chemo, a double mastectomy, 24 rounds of radiation, a hysterectomy…and I have one more surgery to go.”
From there, “Feel For Your Life” was born. Baladad took her struggles and used them as fuel to help other women prevent being in her position. She explains, “I just want women’s breast health to be taken a little more seriously and that some of the stigmas be taken away from it.”
In addition, Baladad created her app to help women communicate with their doctors better. It is hard to explain to doctors symptoms or concerns patients may have. But with the app, women can show their doctors their progress and self-examinations for better clarity about their breast health.
In honor of the #hockeyfightscancer game, I’d like to encourage the ladies to do their self exams. I was dx with breast cancer at 33 y/o after finding a lump. I’ve been through 2 surgeries and 16 rounds of chemo w/ 30 rounds of rads coming up, but I’m BEATING it! #preds pic.twitter.com/ZqXbfrwgnE
— Jessica Baladad (@Jessica_Baladad) February 23, 2019
Everybody knows their body best. Listen to it, and let’s continue down this road for better health.
Here’s more information about breast health and a link to download “Feel For Your Life” to conduct your self-exam. If you are concerned about anything abnormal, please consult your doctor right away.
Content Writer
