Pink for October

I’m dyeing my hair purple today. My son has been begging for purple for a while now, but I’ve been sticking with pink — until now. I don’t want to be associated in any way with that cute little disease, breast cancer. Or worse, that most feminine of all activities: shopping for breast cancer.

People, do you know what you’re shopping for? T-shirts and dog collars and candy and soup, all painted a pandering pink. I’ve actually heard people say, “I’m buying this because I want to support breast cancer.” You want to support cancer? Or the people fighting cancer? And who, exactly, are you supporting?

The day the Susan G. Komen foundation sends out a brochure with research that I can fund is the day I’ll shop for the cause.

In the meantime, instead of supporting some unknown organization, service, or research with some unspecified “portion of the proceeds”, I’m sending my money directly to the organizations that match my goals. I’m also lobbying Congress to fund research into the causes and pathologies of breast cancer with letters like these, the template for which can be found on the Breast Cancer Action website:

After more than 20 years of Breast Cancer Awareness Months, people in this country are still incredibly confused about some of the basic facts of breast cancer. A recent poll by the advocacy group Breast Cancer Action found that most Americans (74%) mistakenly think breast cancer that remains restricted to the breast can be fatal.

The reality is that only breast cancer that spreads to the vital organs is life threatening. But doctors don’t have the tools to tell a woman with certainty at the time of diagnosis whether or not her breast cancer will spread and become life-threatening.

For the sake of the 200,000 women who are diagnosed with this dreadful disease every year, it is time to prioritize research—and funding for research—that will enable doctors to answer a woman’s most basic questions upon diagnosis—“Will I die of this?” and “What should I do next?” As federal funding for cancer research is in danger of being cut, this is a perfect time to refocus and reprioritize. Only more focused research will allow doctors to predict the spread of breast cancer, whether it will become life threatening, and what the best course of treatment is for each woman.

We need to do more than just shop for breast cancer. More than just wave the pink flag, wear our pink t-shirt, point to our pink hat.

Funding mammograms isn’t going to end breast cancer. Feeling smug isn’t going to, either. Please, make this the year that you demand more research into the causes of breast cancer, not just into slash, burn, and poison treatments that treat all breast cancers the same because we can’t tell how they’re different. Spend your money on a stamp and write a letter to your senator.

Cancer isn’t pretty, and it sure as hell isn’t pink. Don’t let the “cause” marketing geniuses rope you in and shut you up. Show them you’re smart enough to pass by the pink and take charge of your own health. Your life may depend on it.

— Lori

The data are a little over a year old, however…

US women are getting mammograms to screen for breast cancer at declining rates, according to a study describing a trend that some health officials fear may reverse progress against the deadly disease.

The percentage of women 40 and older saying they had a mammogram within the past two years slipped from 70 percent in 2000 to 66 percent in 2005, according to the study appearing today in the journal Cancer.

Source

What’s your reason for not getting a mammogram? And that’s not an attitude-filled question, I’d actually like to know.

My wife just said (roughly) while looking over my should while typing this, “There ought to be an alternative to mammograms … they do sonograms to check babies in the womb, why can’t that work for breasts … mammograms hurt!”

According to this article the money spent on Breast Cancer research is nearing 1.2% of the total money spent in Iraq!! But joking aside, that’s a pretty penny going toward one cause, so I command those of you who have played your part.

[*clap*] [*clap*] [*clap*]

I suggest you read the original article, but I want to point out some parts I found pretty interesting.

“There will be an international emphasis this year including a September summit in Budapest [...] The event will pair 25 U.S. activists with 25 people from around the world to look at the social, cultural and financial circumstances that prevent women from getting quality breast health care and treatment.”

I find that to be pretty exciting, actually I hope it goes really well and maybe that sort of logic can be used to solve a host of other issues outside of Breast Cancer. I’m interested in what answers they will arrive at; surely cultural and financial borders play a large part in those who get treatment globally, but hopefully they will arrive at more dissimulated causes.

This sort of international commitment to a common goal is quite uplifting this day and age. It’s one of those necessary global baby steps that gets taken every now and again. I also found it interesting was their (The Komen Org) belief in “changing the culture” of how research and fund-raising is approached. As obviously successful as that idea is, it’s also something extraordinarily hard to implement. Of the myriad organizations out there it is startling that a single person sparked one that is so dominant.

But as with all good news there is not so good news as its dance partner. This isn’t exactly bad news, maybe just “lesser news” or “eh news.” The end of the article noted that about one in eight women will get breast cancer, which to me seems like a lot still. Also, another report shows that around one-million fewer women are getting a mammogram each year.

Any thoughts on what may be causing that?

All in all research has definitely hit a milestone, and it will hit another one sooner than later.

—Kabari