Why This Woman Wants You To See Her Breasts

Lisa Royle says she never thought she'd be the one posting a "boob picture" on Facebook. But, as the Daily Mail writes, the 42-year-old's photo (below) reveals the only clue she ever got about the fact that she had breast cancer: some minor, easy-to-miss dimpling. And, that's why she wants you to see it. Royle is now sharing the photo, which was taken just days before her mastectomy, as a warning to everyone else. "Please take time to look at your boobs," she writes. "It could save your life." Indeed, dimpling is one small sign that there may be something up with your breasts. If you notice any change in the size, shape, or redness of your breast tissue, it's enough reason to get checked out. The photo seems to have resonated with people around the globe, and it's not hard to see why. Aside from headline-making stories of Angelina Jolie Pitt's struggles with breast cancer risk as well as the rise of personal genetic risk-assessment kits, about 220,000 women were diagnosed with the disease in 2011 in the U.S. And, it caused over 40,000 deaths. This is a disease with both individual and collective consequences. So, we appreciate Royle's advice to be proactive, and we know it's never too early to act on that advice.