In October We Wear Pink: Morgan's Story
In October, we wear pink. At TMB, we are wearing pink, not only for breast cancer awareness, but to help educate and empower the modern women we see every day and encourage babes everywhere to be advocates for their own health.
In October we wear pink to honour and celebrate strong modern women like TMB babe, Morgan. Morgan came to the boutique to find her dream dress and said I Do in 2019! Earlier this year, she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer while pregnant with her son Max, who was born in June.
Morgan is the definition of a modern woman, inspiring us with her courage and using her story to teach and help women. Here’s her story:
Around the beginning of my second trimester, I started to be concerned something was wrong in my left breast. It felt denser than my right, with what felt like a mass behind my nipple. As well, I had some pain and discharge. I talked to a nurse, talked to friends and did a lot of googling. Unfortunately, all of my symptoms could be casually explained away (and were) by pregnancy changes.
After a couple of months of not being able to shake the concern, I asked my OB to do a breast exam. Two weeks later, at the end of April 2020, I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
I began chemotherapy right away, and had two rounds before a break to give birth to my son. Six days after giving birth, I was back in the hospital for my next round of chemo.
I finished chemotherapy on October 14. Now, I am receiving a monthly treatment until next summer, and am waiting on a surgery date for a bilateral mastectomy. After that, I will likely receive radiation and 5-10 years of medication to prevent recurrence.
What message should we be sharing?
Get to know your body so that if something changes, you will notice and can get checked out. If you think something is wrong, push to make sure you are heard. Too many young women are told their concerns aren't valid because of their age. And while breast cancer still impacts older women more often, it still happens to young women (and men, too). If you do a regular exam, you can be confident when something has changed.
Morgan is sharing her story to encourage young women to do regular breast self-exams (check your boobs!) and to empower young women to be strong advocates for their own health. The Canadian Cancer Society and Rethink Breast Cancer are amazing resources Morgan recommends people visit for more education.
We are always in awe of our TMB babes, but I think we can all agree that Morgan holds a special place in the TMB family. We thank Morgan for sharing her courageous story and being an advocate for women’s health. We wish Morgan and her family all the best as she continues to battle and inspire us all! Cheers to a true modern woman!
Wedding Photos: Oak and Olive @oak.andoliveco