Life Begins at 65 - Philadelphia, PA

Since the age of 15, in 1967, when my breasts developed to an enormous size of 38Ds, I always felt shame and always wished they were smaller. I felt held back by this physical and mental burden on my chest in so many ways. I was self-conscious, embarrassed by rude remarks by males; it made it harder to run and engage in sports; I couldn't comfortably wear a bathing suit or the stylish tops the other girls were wearing in the '60s. My breasts weren't so large that I couldn't hide them, which I did diligently, but I knew they were there, as I constantly felt their heavy presence. Flash-forward to my years as a young woman, I didn't want to ever disrobe in front of men, including my husband of 37 years, and then breastfeeding my two children in the early '80s was extremely cumbersome and challenging. As life went on, I developed constant neck, shoulder, and back pain, plus deep, burning grooves in my shoulders where my bra straps dug into my skin.