Inflammatory Breast Cancer - A Mani for Awareness

Finally, a post!

Well, life has been pretty hectic since I got back, why is there just always so much to do when I have so many things to show you??

Anyway, this mani is jumping ahead of the honeymoon mani's because I've almost missed the whole month of Breast Cancer Awareness. This is a topic dear to my heart because almost exactly 3 years ago I lost the biggest light in my life to this cruel disease, my Mum.

I don't want this post to be sad but I do actually have something to add to this subject becauase my Mum was unfortunate enough to suffer with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer know as Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer accounts for between 1 and 5% of breast cancers, it is a rapidly progressive cancer and is often diagnosed in younger women. This type of breast cancer doesn't necessarily present as a lump in the breast but symptoms may include:

•  redness and/or swelling of the breast
• pitting of the skin 
• sudden increase in the size of the breast
• a feeling of heaviness of the breast
• burning or tenderness
• an inverted nipple

Unfortunately this type of breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis or an insect bite and because it is so aggressive it can spread significantly before a diagnosis is made, thus affecting the prognosis and outcome.

I really just wanted to make anyone reading this aware that breast cancer does not always present as a lump, I had never heard of this before my family was affected by it. Hopefully you will never need to know and in the future we will find more hope and maybe even a cure.

You can find more information at the National Cancer Institute website

My mani for this cause is 3 coats of Girly Bits Promise Me with some stamping from the BM plate with the ribbons and some Swarovski crystals to add some bling. It isn't perfect and didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it but it's pretty nonetheless.

x