Lauren Baron
BRANT NEWS
Before Judy Porter?s mastectomy, she thought her breasts were just breasts.
?Sometimes we think it doesn?t matter,? Porter said. ?They?re just breasts, take them off, and that?s how I felt at first, but once it happened it was a totally different emotion.
?Your breasts are part of you and to lose a part of your body makes you feel different and it takes time to accept it as a new normal and to get that confidence back with your body.?
Porter, owner of Inspirational Hearts on Charing Cross Street, is one of more than 50 women from across Canada who are sharing their stories and baring their scars in the new book Breast Stories: Cancer Survivors Speak Out by Montreal photo and video journalist Phil Carpenter.
?My goal is two-pronged,? Carpenter said. ?First, I want to look at the role breasts play in our definition of beauty and femininity in this culture and how that definition relates to issues of body image.
?Second, I want to honour the women in this book and give them a vehicle for sharing their experiences and their thoughts.?
The women range in age from 30 to 66, all at varying stages of life, some married, some single, some with children and some with marriages that fell apart because of the mastectomy experience. Some women have had reconstructive surgery, others have opted not to.
The experiences and emotions are real and reflect the ups and downs women face at various stages following a mastectomy. Some reflect the feelings of lost identity.
?My breasts were the focus of my pride as a mother, as well as my consuming fear of failure and of harsh self-criticism,? writes Eartha, a 58-year-old midwife from Kingston. ?I brought the most unforgiving judgment upon myself.?
Others stories are uplifting.
?A mastectomy has caused me to reconsider where sexuality lies,? writes Patricia Turnbull, a 44-year-old nurse from Toronto. ?It doesn?t lie in a woman?s breasts ? it lies in her heart and mind.?
The rollercoaster of emotions included in the book illustrate exactly how Porter felt throughout her experience.
?So many people go through a lot of the same emotions and can take the positive from how people have learned to accept their new image,? she said. ?I think this book, after reading it, it will really help people who have newly had a mastectomy. It will help them understand that it?s not their breasts that make them who they are. It?s the person within.?
Porter?s cancer journey began at 34, when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. At 36, she was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes and at 39 was diagnosed with lung cancer.
At 44, she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene, which meant she had an 85 per cent chance of getting breast and ovarian cancer. She had her ovaries removed and a double mastectomy with reconstruction to decrease her risk.
?Because I?ve had so many cancers, I can never have radiation again, so when I found out I carried the gene, I thought I had to be proactive with this,? Porter said.
It?s been 10 years since Porter?s last chemotherapy treatment and five years since her mastectomy. Doctors tell her she has an 85 per cent chance of cancer returning, but she chooses to live her life as if she?s in the 15 per cent.
She?s dedicated her life to helping others with cancer through Inspirational Hearts, a store aimed at helping enhance the life of patients dealing with cancer.
Participating in Breast Stories is an extension of that work.
?I really believe sometimes we go through rough times and we don?t know why, but now I believe I had to go on that journey to help other people,? Porter said.
Porter will host the southern Ontario launch of Breast Stories at Inspirational Hearts on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. Carpenter, Porter and other women included in the book will be on hand to sign copies.
Breast Stories costs $32.95 and is available at Inspirational Hearts.
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