Growing up in a conservative environment, I wasn't taught much about my body. All I knew about breasts were that they start to grow when a woman hits puberty, that you should wear a bra when they do, and that they were a food source for babies. There were no other explanations or discussions, so I had a lot of unanswered questions when I began to notice the changes in my body. No one was willing to talk to me because boobs were and often still are treated as a taboo topic in the Philippines.

It’s so easy to take health for granted. I’ve never been hospitalized my life so far, so I tend to be careless about taking good care of myself. However, I do try to be self-aware and pay attention to any changes in my body.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and though the month has already passed, getting checked is something that women should do regularly. Self-examination only takes up a little bit of time, but can make a huge difference in helping to detect breast cancer. Recently I went to the Avon Pink Minute event in the Quezon Memorial Circle where they gathered breast cancer survivors and other members of their community to raise breast cancer awareness.