Caveat: The contents of this section of Breastless are in no way intended as criticism, blaming, or attack on any individual mentioned. (And I hope you see the healing - even delight - that this statement represents when you read on.) Instead, it is radical self-responsibility for what I heard and my subsequent choices.
This small, easily missed or misunderstood section in fact represents the crux of the story and contains my very reason for sharing it. I truly believe that the choices I made as a young girl compounded, activated even, my “family predisposition” to breast cancer. Without this piece, my message remains hidden and unvoiced - which you will see is the very thing I chose as that young girl; keeping what I felt and saw to myself. Trying to be good, brave, and strong.
I have sometimes included and sometimes scratched this section over the 5 years of grappling with my health history, upbringing, and cultural context. I have now made peace with…