A breast cancer survivor shared a powerful picture on Instagram of her double mastectomy scars and opened up about how the illness still affects her life every day.
Amanda Niello, from California in the US, was shocked when she discovered a lump in her breast two years ago. After going for a check-up, she was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer and had to undergo a double mastectomy.
The 31-year-old overcame the illness and now two years later, her hair has slowly grown back and she’s had reconstruction surgery on both her breasts.
She now she hopes to encourage women to have their breasts checked out on a regular basis.
Throughout her battle with cancer, Amanda kept a blog called Thanks, I Have Cancer, in order to document her journey and try to keep her outlook positive.
The Californian native recently took to Instagram to bravely share a photo of herself after her double mastectomy procedure, which depicted her all wrapped up and two drains attached to her hips.
“2 years ago today, I had both my boobies removed due to a diagnosis of Stage II breast cancer,” Amanda wrote onInstagram.
Although she’s cancer-free now, Amanda admits that her experience with cancer still affects her tremendously.
“I will never be able to shake the feeling of fear that the thing that tried to kill me will return.
“I am so thankful for the people in my life that have stuck by my side, but I still mourn the relationships I lost with people who couldn't deal with my disease,” she said.
The cancer survivor now encourages women to talk to one another about their health issues and to enjoy and embrace every second of their lives.
“Feel yourself up today, go get a check-up, talk to your tribe about health and wellness, dance, run, jump around, and keep living, no matter how hard it might be sometimes,” she wrote.
Sources: metro.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk, usnewsaggregator.com