Cancer survivor shares powerful double mastectomy photo after surgery

"I will never be able to shake the feeling of fear that the thing that tried to kill me will return."

Amanda Niello is a 31-year-old Californian woman. She is also a breast cancer survivor. Two years ago, Amanda underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. To mark Breast Cancer Awareness month, Amanda shared a photo of herself soon after her surgery. In a powerful Instagram post, she wrote that even though her hair has grown back and that her "tots look pretty good after reconstruction..."

"I will never be able to shake the feeling of fear that the thing that tried to kill me will return."

A post shared by Amanda Niello (@aeniello) on Oct 13, 2017 at 1:40pm PDT

Amanda said that she shared her photo to encourage others to check their breasts regularly. She wrote that even though life is "fucking crazy," if we have the opportunity to prevent illnesses like this, we should do it.

"Feel yourself up today, go get a check-up, talk to your tribe about health and wellness, dance, run, jump around, and keep living, no matter how hard it might be sometimes."

A post shared by Amanda Niello (@aeniello) on Oct 16, 2017 at 8:29am PDT

Every year, there are over 2,800 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Ireland. It is also estimated that one in nine women will develop the disease over the course of their lifetime. Breast Cancer Ireland have a handy chart of symptoms to look out for. They include an unusual swelling in the armpit, a lump in the breast or armpit, and an irregular increase in the size of one breast. Breast Cancer Awareness month runs from the beginning to the end of October.