Martina Navratilova on her battle with breast cancer: "I felt obliged to speak out and make women aware; Women take care of everybody else, but we don't take care of ourselves"
Martina Navratilova has stressed the importance of regular screening for cancer detection, using her battle with breast cancer as an example to spread awareness about the same. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month worldwide and the tennis legend used the opportunity to urge more women to get regular screenings.
Navratilova was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer back in 2010. She reflected on her diagnosis and the period leading up to it, admitting that she made the mistake of delaying getting screened. While she was very busy with her life at the time, the 65-year-old did not realize that four years had passed since her last screening.
The nine-time Wimbledon singles champion then stated that she was lucky to have been diagnosed before the cancer spread too far. After going through the experience, she felt obligated to raise awareness and help others learn from her mistakes.
"Finally when I did it, it was DCIS, so I realized it was four years, I'm like, 'You know what? I got lucky' because apparently, it happened at the later stages of those four years. But if it would have happened earlier, who knows where the cancer would have gone? So I felt obliged to speak out and make women aware because I wasn't aware," Martina Navratilova said in an interview with Dr. Lipi Roy.
Navratilova has not missed a yearly screening exam since becoming cancer-free. She further highlighted that many women tend to delay getting screened, often for the same reasons she did, and that can lead to more cases of late cancer detection.
The Czech-American feels that women neglect their own well-being because they are so busy taking care of everyone else, and took the opportunity to urge women to make time for themselves and get regular health check-ups.
"That's why this Breast Cancer Awareness Month is important because we as women take care of everybody else, but we don't take care of ourselves," Navratilova stated.
"When you get that notice about your cat or dog needs to have a rabies vaccination, you take them tomorrow, right? When it's time for the OBGYN exam, it's like, 'Yeah I'll do it next week.' Next thing you know, a year has gone by. So, this stuff spreads really quickly. That's one reason that we have so many more breast cancer diagnoses later rather than sooner," she added.
The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion pointed out the costliness of the process and lack of effective equipment as other major reasons why people tend to keep postponing getting tested and screened.
"Also, I think a lot of women can't afford it, quite frankly, or the equipment isn't good enough...There's a lot of reasons, but it think the biggest reason still is money and women taking care of everybody else," she added.
"We need to keep speaking and keep pounding that floor and the table" - Martina Navratilova on the importance of spreading awareness
During the same interview, Martina Navratilova explained how it is very easy for the matter to be neglected from time to time, suggesting that it is important to constantly drive home the point and not just during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
While cancer detection is never ideal, Navratilova emphasized that it is infinitely preferable to be diagnosed at an early stage, which provides a huge opportunity for it to be treated in time. She believes regular screening is always important regardless of the result of each test.
"We need to keep speaking and keep pounding that floor and the table and say, 'Look, this is important. You need to do this'," Martina Navratilova continued.
"The sooner you find out something's wrong, the more you can take care of it. The outcomes are so much better. And if nothing is happening, great! Now you got another year, you don't have to worry about anything. You can relax and do it again the year later," she added.
Ever since she publicly revealed her breast cancer diagnosis, Martina Navratilova has been quite vocal about her journey and raising awareness about the necessary steps to be taken to win the battle against the disease.