My husband and I watched Land of Women last night. It was an OK story except for the part about breast cancer. I'm not going to review the movie, but I am going to make some comments about how Hollywood portrayed BC.

I felt the same last night as when I watch films where a woman gives birth with lots of screaming and writhing.

I used to work with a nurse who taught Lamaze classes - I assisted her by demonstrating the various techniques. It was lots of fun, and we tought women how to manage any discomfort they might have during labor. The word pain was never mentioned, so when I see actresses writhing in pain during labor, it makes me mad. Pregnant women don't need to see that, let alone be steeped in fear of labor and delivery, and be conditioned to something which doesn't necessarily have to happen.

The same with breast cancer. Every person's story is different, but it seems as if only the two extremes - blazing marathon running survival or grim tearful death warrant attention. In Land of Women there was fear, which is normal, but it seemed to go on too long, particularly around the diagnosis.

I can't remember exactly what scene it was that angered me, but I said to my husband that the scene was unnecessary and further reinforced all the fear around having cancer, implying it's still a death sentence, when it is not.

Yes, when first diagnosed I felt the world shift, but then I got a grip and underwent the whole cancer thing sort of like I was plowing a field, plodding on day by day until it was planted. It was not fun but now I'm experiencing what I planted and that is worth it. But that's my story...

I can't help but be concerned when I see how the industry warps something for the story. Don't buy into it, if you can. Make everything that happens to you yours, not what you read or see on TV...

and that's all I have to say about that!!