It's #PinkOctober campaign month.

I'm always grateful for this campaign.

It was why in 2010 I eventually had a medical check that led to the biopsy and confirmed diagnosis and my first mastectomy.

By December 2011 I had completed my chemotherapy and radiation. In 2013 I had an elective mastectomy. 

In May 2014 my mum Rachel Bhagwan started her journey with chemotherapy. 

Mum was not as lucky as me as her cancer mestastized and but as she would say "we shall fight a good fight...regardless of the challenges laid before us including breast cancer"

So this #PinkOctober I hope you can afford to a mammogram - take your mum, take your daughter. Yes I'm making a point about access and affordability!

It starts with a single step.  For me it was just saying to a friend and my daughter and letting my family know I was going to get the small lump checked out. 

Fear of any medical test is normal - fear of affordability of treatment is also normal but as I learnt taking that first step for detection is critical.