I recently had an abnormal mammogram and had to have a biopsy – the results were negative🙏

But I was scared after the abnormal mammogram. I tried to ignore it. Quite literally – I ignored phone calls and letters until finally I had to sign for a certified letter from the radiologist. So I went and then I waited. As I waited I tried to push back the scary, negative thoughts, but they creeped in anyway. I couldn’t sleep the night before I would get the biopsy results, so I stayed up and made this.

I used a graphic of a vintage mannequin for this because that’s kind of how I have felt lately – just kind of stuck or stationary with a plastic façade. I chose an armless mannequin because I felt powerless. And a vintage one because I’m old 🤣. I used a stock photo of a mammogram (faint outline/overlay on the right half of the image) and a stock photo of cancer cells for the red circle over the left breast (the side that initially caused me to get the mammogram). I’m going to ask the radiologist if I can get my mammogram and ultrasound images so I can switch the stock image to one of my real images. She’s standing in fire to symbolize how I tried to ignore this. There are positive and negative symbols floating around her head because that’s what was floating around in mine. There is also an overlay of a one hundred dollar bill to represent the cost of getting sick in America. I’m a freelance graphic designer and photographer, and I don’t have health insurance, so the thought of having a major illness terrified me mainly for the financial nightmare it would be. Thankfully I qualified for a program here in South Dakota called ‘All Women Count’ which will cover the costs of the mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. I encourage all women to take a proactive approach to your own healthcare and look into possible local resources that could help you.