As women, our breasts define so much of who we are. We nurse from them, we dress them up, we use them to entice men and they love them, so to lose them is to lose a major piece of our identity. And that’s why Claira Hermet, a 27-year-old radio and TV presenter, is throwing a party for the boobs she is about to lose. And we love her for it.
Hermet is scheduled to have a double mastectomy. She lost both her mother and her sister to breast cancer and decided to have a prophylactic (preventative) mastectomy after she found out she carried the BRCA 1 gene that significantly increases her risk of getting the disease.
In the days before the surgery, she threw a special good-bye party for her breasts. It wasn’t sad. It was hilarious, wild and fun with boob cupcakes and boobs everywhere. Here is her video:
www.youtube.com/embed/WTzj34CKZIE
I love her attitude. As a woman who is also at a higher risk for breast cancer — I also lost my mother and maternal grandmother — to the disease, I know how easy it is to lose our sense of humor about it all. It’s big and it’s scary and for many of us, it’s tragic, too.
But Hermet celebrates life. She’s fighting, but she’s also laughing. And we love her for it. Here are some of her photos:
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View this post on Instagram
I am sure there will be people offended by her humor and people who feel like she is making light of a serious topic. But not me. I have seen what breast cancer can do and I know there is nothing funny about it. But I also know if you have an opportunity to laugh, you should always take it. Always. Sometimes the most painful things can only be traversed by using humor.
Hermet is doing what she can do to ease her way through something that has already caused her immeasurable pain. As a fellow veteran of the loss that comes from breast cancer, I say keep doing what you’re doing, lady. And if I ever face it myself, I hope I have one ounce of the courage and humor you have.
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