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Health & Fitness

Making Friends With the New Girls

A breast cancer survivor humorously looks at the side of breast cancer that brought some good and fun change to her life.

I have got to tell ya. Never in all of the 30 or so years that I have worn a bra have I ever gone out in public without one. NEVER!!!!

It took breast cancer to make it happen. 2 years ago after I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, I elected to have a double mastectomy and then did breast reconstruction. So I have after a year of expanders, implants, fat grafting, and tattooing I have a new set of Tatas

They are not the Tatas that I grew up with. They are not saggy, they haven't breast fed 2 children, they haven't been through weight gain and weight loss. They are these new stand at attention, rarely move, and up so high Tatas. They are Tatas that allow me to run. I would have NEVER in a million years thought of running with my big old girls jiggling all over the place. 

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 I tried something I know women especially in Orange County go out in public wearing spaghetti strap blouses and dresses BRALESS. Well I tried it recently. I gotta tell ya, after 40 years of ALWAYS wearing a bra, it was a little liberating, it will take a little getting used to and it is absolutely not something that I will do daily. But when I can find a dress or blouse that I could never wear before I will now buy them and NOT wear a bra.

I am not turning into a bra burning hippie or anything like that, so don't go crazy and think I've changed. I will always love my turtle necks and bras. But I am embracing the new Tatas today, it has taken some getting used to but I am choosing to look at the good of the whole CANCER thing. I am better, I am cancer free, I am a survivor, I will get the incredible gift of seeing my boys grow to be men, and grow old with my husband. The new Tatas and going braless were just the ribbon on the big gift that was wrapped for me.

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