Appearance & Body Image
As a breast cancer survivor, I have undergone two separate mastectomies. I have had two different reconstructive surgeries. I no longer see my breasts as such, but more as mounds. Aesthetically, with clothes on, they appear normal. However, I know the truth and shame keeps me from feeling sexy and confident. I feel less of a woman. As the years distance me from the trauma of the diagnosis, I become more conscious of the scars and disfigurement. I don’t see a strong body that survived, I see a flawed being that is unattractive, therefore unlovable.
Motherhood
In talking with a mother of a child who died by suicide, I witnessed her shame. She took complete ownership of her daughter’s choice to die. The choices the
As a breast cancer survivor, I have undergone two separate mastectomies. I have had two different reconstructive surgeries. I no longer see my breasts as such, but more as mounds. Aesthetically, with clothes on, they appear normal. However, I know the truth and shame keeps me from feeling sexy and confident. I feel less of a woman. As the years distance me from the trauma of the diagnosis, I become more conscious of the scars and disfigurement. I don’t see a strong body that survived, I see a flawed being that is unattractive, therefore unlovable.
Motherhood
In talking with a mother of a child who died by suicide, I witnessed her shame. She took complete ownership of her daughter’s choice to die. The choices the