The Importance of Mammograms: My Journey and Why It Matters

aka The Breast Cancer Diaries Entry 1

The importance of mammogram cannot be overlooked, and to illustrate, I’ll be sharing my story in what I am calling the Breast Cancer Diaries. So this all begins August 4, 2021. I went for my dreaded mammogram. To say I hate them is an understatement, and to be honest, I’ve been known to blow them off now and again due to said deep and abiding hate. Nobody in their right mind likes standing on tiptoe, hauling their boob up and dropping it on a shelf and having another shelf press down on it with enough pressure to turn it into a pancake. And yes, I said boob. I know that the mature, adult way to address said body part would be to call it a breast, but they’re mine, and I’m calling them boobs.

But I digress. I did NOT blow off my mammogram in 2021, so go at me me. Then I received the dreaded phone call saying, “We see something on your left breast, and we’d like you to come in for an ultrasound.” So I went for the ultrasound and they found nothing. Yippee and yahoo! Color me very happy about that. I’d like to say I then put it completely out of my mind, but of course, I didn’t.

Flash forward to summer of 2022, and it’s almost time for my mammogram. Well funnily enough, the medical building where I normally go caught on fire, and I took this as a sign to not get my mammogram at that time. I waited a few months, 4 to be precise, but the guilt was slowly building. I don’t deal particularly well with guilt. It’s a curse from growing up Catholic, so I scheduled another appointment with the same practice at a different site.

December 1st rolled around and I sucked it up and went and did my womanly duty to get my boobs tortured in that dreadful machine. Seriously, there has GOT to be an easier way to do this. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, and while I am no engineer, there has got to be a less painful way to conduct this necessary test. I guarantee you that if men had to have their testicles squished like that every year, they would have figured out a far less painful way years ago.

Well, a couple of days later, I got a phone call, and I was fully expecting to hear they found something in my left breast. Surprise! Nope, it was the right side this time! My first thought was “Oh it moved.” They wanted to schedule an ultrasound, so of course I said yes. I mean really, I could say no, but why would I want to do that. It was going to be negative, right?

It Wasn’t Negative

They did an ultrasound and then suggested a biopsy. What was I going to say, “No?” I was kind of floored to say the least and not gonna lie, very scared. But I was also thankful. Yes, that’s right, thankful. Thankful that I didn’t ignore the importance of mammograms. Now I want you to picture this. It’s Christmas break, and I’m out running errands. I’d just come home and was grabbing the mail when my cell phone rang. As soon as the nice nurse on the other end of the phone said ‘Do you have something to write with?’ I knew the news was not good. In fact it was bad. I had breast cancer in my right breast.

Why I’m Sharing This Story

Here’s the thing: I joke a lot about the process, but the importance of mammograms cannot be overstated. They are uncomfortable, yes. They are awkward, absolutely. But mammograms save lives. Detecting changes early—even if it’s just a tiny shadow on a screen—can make all the difference in treatment and survival.

Many women, like me, dread them and sometimes delay or avoid them altogether. That’s normal, but it’s also dangerous. The guilt I felt for putting mine off after the fire wasn’t just in my head—it was my intuition reminding me how critical this screening is.

The Importance of Mammograms

When doctors recommend regular screening, it isn’t because they enjoy torturing us. Mammograms are one of the most reliable ways to catch breast cancer early, often before symptoms even appear. Early detection means treatment can begin sooner, and the outcomes are generally far more positive.

Even though my ultrasounds have come back clear, I’m glad I didn’t ignore the follow-ups. It gave me peace of mind, and it reminded me of the true importance of mammograms. They aren’t fun, but they are necessary.

Making Peace With the Process

I still hate the procedure. I still think engineers could design a better system if they really tried. But when I weigh that discomfort against the potential of catching something serious early, there’s no contest. Every bit of squeezing, flattening, and awkward positioning is worth it.

For anyone reading this who has been putting off their own screening, let me be the gentle nudge you need. Don’t wait for guilt to eat at you. Don’t wait for “the right time.” Just make the appointment and go. Trust me, I get it—I hate them too. But I also know that the importance of mammograms outweighs every ounce of my discomfort.

For more information visit👉 American Cancer Society page on mammograms:
Learn more about the importance of mammograms from the American Cancer Society.

Final Thoughts

My story may sound humorous, but it’s rooted in something serious. Whether it’s your first time or your tenth, please don’t skip your mammogram. Remind your friends, your sisters, your coworkers—because awareness and early detection save lives.

So yes, I’ll still roll my eyes, crack jokes, and complain about the medieval torture device they call a mammogram machine. But I’ll also keep showing up, because I know the importance of mammograms far exceeds my dislike of the process. And if I can do it, so can you. I will also be doing everything I can to keep my spirits up and focus on thinking positive. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to do it!