Pinktober Revolution
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Alice , Thanks for the thought. Yes it was hell, serious hell, but I came out of it Poor dear husband didn't...………… Thank you
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Alice, I sent you a private message re genetic testing because of the particular cancers you have had. Good post on pink. (Thumbs up.)
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bump
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Recommended reading is the site set up a couple of years ago by regulars on this thread:
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stinktober begins. 😣
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I was just talking with hubby last night about losing dear PattyPeppermint. I mentioned how horrible Breast cancer is for everyone, and how sad for the many men who are often diagnosed at the later stages...
Hubby interrupted me to say, "wait, men can get breast cancer?"
Apparently, dispite all the research I've been doing, hubby hasn't been listening to me.
So much for awareness!
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Mominator, I think your husband's reaction, even though you talked to him about it, is because so much emphasis is placed on it being a cancer that strikes women. Look at the ads on tv, it shows women. I have yet to see an ad addressing men about the fact they can get it. When you see men participating in events, there is no mention of them having/surviving it so you assume it has struck a woman they know. Traveltext is correct about blue being added to the ribbon to raise awareness that it strikes men. I'm against the pink of it on principal. The original was peach and the creator, Charlotte Haley, when approached by Self magazine and Estee Lauder felt it would be too commercialized. So Estee Lauder went to their lawyers and it was suggested they change the color.
I have always felt, even before my diagnosis, that direct donations should be made instead of buying "usually cheap crap" that puts money in the pockets of the manufacturer and retailer and very little towards research or services to those dealing with bc.
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Mominator, that's for sharing about hubby's bc unawareness. Black mark to the pink charities.
Kathindc. You are spot on with the history of the pink ribbon, the lack of men in bc ads, even from the pink charities, and your advice on not buying cheap pink crap.
Here's my meme for this year. Please share it around.
This year, turn Pinktober into Thinktober.
THINK
About the people daily living with this disease
About those who are Stage IV
About the caregivers, families and friends
About those in financial difficulty
About where you donateAll stages, All genders, All together
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Traveltext, that ribbon and its message says it all. Now that I would be proud to wear as it tells the whole truth about breast cancer. There is nothing cute about this disease.
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The new tv show A Million Little Things has a male character who has had breast cancer, and that appears to be a big focus of his storyline. There is also a woman with active breast cancer on it as well, but I thought that was interesting
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Thanks nbnotes, will look out for the show when it makes it out here.
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nbnotes, I just came here to post about that!
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I want a pink bumper sticker that says "It's too late for my tatas. Save my life."
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Hapa,
Love it!!!
Vickki
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Hapa, Brilliant quote!
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This YouTube clip not a glossy promotion, rather it's real people talking about their disease. I'm easy to spot.
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Oh, Traveltext, we get so see your face and hear your voice.
Ticking off Breast Cancer mentions raising awareness. What are their plans and where will the money go?
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Thanks for the question Mominator.
Ticking off Breast Cancer is a person: http://www.tickingoffbreastcancer.com/me-and-my-we...
BCC is a proactive UK bc charity, founded in 1973, offering a range of services.
They combine the personal experiences of people affected by breast cancer with clinical expertise, using this in a unique way to:
- provide information on living with and beyond breast cancer
- offer emotional and practical support through our services and Helpline
- bring people affected by breast cancer together through our services and Forum
- campaign for improvement in standards of support and care
- promote the importance of early detection.
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This is a day late, since I didn't check email yesterday.
=============================================
This week is HBOC Week.
It’s National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) Week, a time when we create awareness, recognize those with a genetic predisposition to cancer, and work towards a future when hereditary cancer no longer exists.
Today we are honoring Previvors!
Today is National Previvor Day, when we honor people with a predisposition to cancer who have not had the disease. More previvors than ever before are empowering themselves with the trusted information and network of support that only FORCE provides.
Today, and everyday, we thank you.
Not only do we acknowledge survivors, previvors, and all of those who work closely with us and who support our mission in many ways, but we thank you. All of the unique programs and services that FORCE is able to offer, all of the work completed through Research, Education, Awareness, Public Policy, and support of those facing hereditary cancer is made possible by the time and the donations you give and make possible. We thank you for your support.
You provide outcomes.
A gift from you could fund personalized support, train a Patient Advocate Leader, or help match individuals to clinical trials and research studies to improve health outcomes. We can’t do it without your help. Together we, and many more than ever before, are living life empowered. Thank you.
FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered=====================================0 -
Regarding FORCE: usually they are informative and helpful, but this email made me feel uncomfortable.
Yes, I am a "previvor" according to their definition. I don't feel particularly special and I don't need recognition for it. I made some hard choices based on the information I had. I hope that my choices may prevent me from getting breast and ovarian cancers. There are no guarantees.
My Mother is a "survivor" maybe. Mom had ILC Stage IIIA, and died 3 years after diagnosis of that second breast cancer. She died from vascular dementia (a series of small strokes). If the strokes hadn't happen, would the breast cancer have gotten her? We don't know.
Certainly my grandmother wasn't a survivor. She died age 48 from ovarian cancer. That was 60 years ago. We have better treatments now.
I hope researchers like FORCE continue to make strides in cancer research, leading to more effective treatments and possibly preventing cancers.
Let's focus on that.
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Mominator, I too am uneasy with this terminology. We are all previvors and survivors of so many diseases and conditions that it seems meaningless to emphasise these terms, and certainly just in relation to cancers.
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surviving life can be hard even if you don't have a chronic or terminal disease. Am i a survivor? This moment yes. We can only assess this moment. The next one is not a given for anyone.
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Very interesting and very informative, thanks for posting.
"To give you a good picture of how pervasive this pink industry is, I'll walk you through a trip I took to Pennsylvania two weeks ago: I took a flight with American Airlines, where they had pink ribbon napkins. There were pink ribbon signs at the rental car agency. A few hours later, I passed a tow truck in a little town in Pennsylvania that said "Towing for Tatas" with a pink ribbon too. Then I passed a bank with a sign of people wearing pink ribbons. And this was all in a few hours! There were so many pink products, but none of it actually tells me anything."
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Earlier this month I was waiting in a doctor's office and two women were discussing their involvement with "pink" events. It all sounded like money raising for a local charity for "awareness" and nothing to do with a cure. I should have spoken up and asked them how much money was going toward research, but I didn't want to ruin my day!!
April, thanks for the article. I might be more accepting of October if a peach colored ribbon was used to raise money for research for the cure.
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It's not just pink charities.
Two people were outside the grocery store last month for Alzheimer's. I asked where the money goes. 100% goes to the Alzheimer's Walk. Further clarification: 100% goes to the actual walk, such as water, and other support for people who are walking the Alzheimer's walk.
I guess that means that a higher % of the money raised by the Alzheimer's Walk will go to Alzheimer's ?? research or treatments?? Don't know. Not giving so people can walk.
Why can't we just give money to the researchers or treatment centers? Let's remove the layers of pink fluff and phony awareness. I know so many people who are all "Team Pink" whatever that means. Yet, they can't quote any facts or statistics about breast cancer.
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One year my sister-in-law was doing a walk in a city halfway across the country for some ailment (I don't remember the specific one). She was raising money locally to pay HER way, for the flight and hotel and other expenses! Oh hell no. What she wanted was a free trip and bragging rights for herself, as in, "Oh, look how dedicated I am to XXXXX cause." Shameful.
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AB. Bad,bad, bad.
Here’s an angle:
Why Is Breast Cancer the Shopping Disease Anyway?
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Traveltext, I give a thumbs up to your question: "Why is breast cancer the shopping disease anyway?" I'm always so turned off when things are labeled like some great exciting thing to buy and supposedly supporting some "good cause." An advertising trick playing on sympathies.
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Yeah, the whole merchandising thing is crazy. Does any other kind of cancer (or disease) get this kind of useless attention? I've seen a few awareness campaigns for prostate cancer screening and a few others, but nothing with tacky merchandise. I guess between the functionality of breast-feeding and the sexualization of breasts, companies cash in on the "everybody loves boobies" thinking. Other body parts don't have the emotional attachment, but some are more crucial to survival than breasts. We can, if necessary, live without breasts. People with liver, pancreatic, brain, and some other cancers don't have that option.
How about making money from the sale of phone cases with "Hang Up for Hangnails" on them? 😏
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