North Bay Woman

F A L L | W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 NORTH BAY WOMAN 37 womanhood, whose mothers was being taken from her, I suffered from blaming myself. Especially after knowing that breast cancer took my great grandma's life, added to my many emotions. My mom and grandma saw her wither away because of the atrocious sickness, and this realization made my chest have a constant feeling of weights pushing me down and which also created a hole of emptiness. Watching my mom in never-ending pain from things on her body that signified beauty, motherhood and vital- ity made it hard to come to the realization that it was not my fault. Her breasts gave me life and my duty prevailed to help my mom recover. In reality, breasts are made up of fat and tissue along with nerves, veins and arteries; there is connective tissue to hold everything in place. They are vital, but not nec- essary for a woman's life after childbearing. It should be noted that these mammary glands are so relevant in our culture. A woman's breasts are often obsessed over by men. They are even referred to as jugs, melons, the pup- pies, the girls, and boobs which are not endearing terms. Men are often mesmerized by cleavage and find a rite of passage in getting to ¨second base.¨ It's quite sad that women's breasts are marginalized in this manner. The media, whether it be magazines, TV or movies, portray larger breasts as better, and often encourage implants. Breasts are both maternal and sexual in appearance, however, the sexual connotation seems to be much more revered and pronounced. My mother was fortunate enough to have reconstruc- tive surgery, as well as a successful double mastectomy all at the same time. Many women are not as lucky and do not have the resources for such a positive outcome. Some are even left without breasts, some have painful expanders to ready their body for implants, many have debilitating chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and others are afflicted with emotional and physical side effects from all of the above. People who have overcome breast cancer are war- riors. They are fighters because of the harsh things they have faced, whether it be surgery or chemotherapy, they are all champions. My mom, along with the rest of the breast cancer survivors, overcame the gruesome journey of endless doctor appointments and procedures sur- rounding their breasts. The inner beauty of each woman should not be defined by the status of their breasts, but by the person who they truly are. My mom taught me that her breast cancer was just a part of her story, merely a chapter, but not the title of her life. n Grace Wagner, a North Bay high school student, is the daughter of North Bay Woman Advertising Manager Lori Pearce. Learn more: zbclink.org/donate Your local nonprofit preventing breast cancer and recurrance. At Marin & Sonoma Women at Work we believe networking and community are the keys to success in business. If you are looking for a group with which to connect, grow your business, and meet other successful talented women, then our groups may be just what you are looking for. Visit marinwomenatwork.com and sonomawomenatwork.com and our podcasts Women at Work, Life Happens the girlfriend's approach to building business

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