Cancer

“How could this happen to me?”

This is what one of my colleagues says her mother kept saying after she found out she had heart disease.

I was sitting next to her as she told her story of being diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer at the age of 27. It wasn't the first time that I had heard a young woman talk through diagnosis and treatment of aggressive breast cancer, but I had to fight back tears while listening to Charity speak. Our entire video production team was struggling not to cry. What was it about her situation that captured all of us?

We all have that person at work who makes the day more enjoyable. At my old office, that person was Iwona. She was more like a sister to me than a coworker, so when she texted me during a meeting to say, “It’s cancer,” I lost my breath and left the room to call her.

Parents, you can help protect your child from getting certain HPV-related cancers. How? With a safe and effective vaccine! Here are the top fives things you should know about HPV, or human papillomavirus, and the vaccine. 

Your thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck. It makes a hormone that helps control your body's metabolism, including how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. About three times as many women get thyroid cancer as men. One woman shares her story about finding out she had papillary thyroid cancer, the most common of type, when she was only 19. Read her story — from her diagnosis to treatment to being cancer-free.

Breast reconstruction after cancer isn’t for everyone, but federal law protects your right to make that choice. The 1998 Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act requires that insurance plans cover reconstruction at any time after a medically necessary mastectomy.

Ed. note: This blog is cross-posted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The Topic is Cancer Blog. The original post date was August 30, 2017. Read the original post. 

When I think of October, I don't just think of cooler weather and pumpkin-flavored treats. I also think about the well-known pink breast cancer ribbon, because each year during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, organizations from all across the country run promotions and campaigns featuring the pink ribbon to help raise awareness about breast cancer. For many of us, it's a cancer we all know too well. We know a family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker who has been touched by breast cancer. And it doesn't discriminate.

Ed. note: This blog is cross-posted from the HHS.gov blog. The original post date was January 11, 2016. Read the original post.

Women's health. Two words, so many topics. Of course, everyone is passionate about different issues. That's why we try to discuss many subjects on the OWH Blog, often through the voice of a woman who has a deep and personal connection to that topic. It's been two years since we launched our blog, and to celebrate our anniversary, I want to share five of my favorite posts and why I think every woman should read them.