My world revolves around the web. I make money by designing web applications, I make and keep friends via the web (and web conferences), and I do this thing called Pink for October (you may have heard of it). But every once in a while I have to venture out into the real world and lately, I’ve noticed a lot of pink things.

Earlier this week, I was walking back to my office and saw a couple of these sitting on someone’s desk.

I asked if I could borrow it to take this pic, but was told I could have it. Cool!

The crate in the picture is just a toy giveaway, but the company that gives away the toys has some real ones to rent. They are standard packing crates that come branded with one of the company’s philanthropic activities. Rent a Pink Crate and a portion of your rental fee goes to fighting Breast Cancer. That’s pretty cool.

The Down Side of a Pink October

I find Pink for October to be pretty innocuous in the grand scheme of Pink Things. It doesn’t cost much (if anything) to participate. It is temporary. No animals get harmed in the process.

But does the world really need pink M&Ms or pink vacuums? Or even storage crates…

There are plenty of companies around the world that look at this month as an opportunity to cash in. Slapping paint an inch thick on something and spending thousands if not millions on a marketing campaign doesn’t make your company a philanthropist.

Being a Conscious Consumer

Don’t buy pink things solely to support Breast Cancer research. If you need a vacuum cleaner, and you like pink go for it. If you need to rent storage crates and there are pink ones available, why not?

But what about all the other pink crap that gets produced? We’ve had this conversation before, but it’s good to bring up again.

Jeanne has started her own initiative, which I suggest you go read about.

Now Media has posted a few things to consider this October that are also worth reading. Such as:

Beware of vague claims like “a percentage of net proceeds.” Unless they also include a specific figure. This is just doublespeak for “we don’t really want to tell you how little we’re giving, so this makes it easy to fudge.”

That is a great point. The plus side, if there is one for you, of the M&Ms and Oreck campaigns is they explicitly state the minimum donation they will make. But I wonder, why not just make the donation and send out a press release about it.

Neither An Optimist Nor a Pessimist Be

This is a gray issue to me. There are positives and negatives. One persons positive is another’s negative and vice versa. The point is to be informed, which is why one our Pink for October’s tenets is about educating yourself and bringing that new found education to others.

Take this month and wander the web. Go to the hospital and interview and oncologist. Investigate some of the different Breast Cancer charities. Learn. Then let us all know what you found out.

This is the first in a series of eight, or maybe more, contests that will be held here on Pink for October, in an attempt to get more people involved during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And since I have explained how the contest will be played, and also introduced all our generous sponsors, we should not waste anymore time. Let’s get started!

The word for today is RIBBON.

That’s right. Go look for a picture, or take one if you can, that shows a ribbon, obvious or otherwise. Then write a description about it on your blog and leave me a comment in the comments section. Be creative! Think out of the box :D

Please note that the comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Sunday, Oct 5th, and the next word will then be announced at 12 am on Monday, Oct 6th (all times in GMT). Also, I suggest that you subscribe to the Pink for October feed to avoid missing any updates and contests!

P/S: I am sorry this post is some 2 hours later than it should have been posted. I was confused about the different time zones (I live in Malaysia, +0800 GMT).

– Pelf Nyok

Just a quick note as it’s been a busy day.

Pink for October - Day 1 on 12seconds.tv

Thanks to everyone who has signed up and has helped spread the word. Still need more of that over the next week for sure. :)

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has somewhat of a different meaning for me being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.   I don’t consider myself a “survivor” yet as I’m still in treatment.  I’m “surviving!” It has been a challenging past six months for me, without my family and friends support I know I wouldn’t have made it this far. 

Even though I have no hair, no eyebrows, dark nails and have lost weight just to name a few side affects from treatment I feel VERY BLESSED!

It was March 2008, most things were right in my world.  I was planning to go to the “Big Easy” to celebrate my 42nd birthday.  I felt a lump in my right breast when my hand grazed the top of it while pulling a t-shirt over my head.  I had my yearly Well Woman visit scheduled for later in the month, so I figured I would bring it to my doctor’s attention. 

Didn’t think much of it, so I headed to New Orleans and had a wonderful time. Upon my return, I went for my yearly check up – my doctor agreed, the lump felt odd.  I had two abnormal mammograms in past years that didn’t amount to anything I needed to be concerned with, so I naturally thought this was the case with the recent finding.

My doctor sent me for a diagnostic mammogram.  The Radiologist said the lump was “suspicious” and scheduled me for a biopsy the next week.  On March 28th I was told the words no woman should ever hear - “I’m sorry but you have breast cancer.”

Specifics about my breast cancer:
It is Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) - In Situ (noninvasive) breast cancer refers to cancer in which the cells have remained within their place of origin — they haven’t spread to breast tissue around the duct or lobule. The most common type of noninvasive breast cancer is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is confined to the lining of the milk ducts. The abnormal cells haven’t spread through the duct walls into surrounding breast tissue.

I am Hormone Receptor Negative.  HER2 Positive - This gene drives production of the growth-promoting HER2 protein.  About one out of every five breast cancers is HER2 positive, meaning these cancers have greater than normal amounts of the HER2 protein. These cancers tend to grow and spread more aggressively than do other cancers.

The tumor was actually pretty small being 1.9 cm.   In May I had surgery, a Lumpectomy and Sentinel node biopsy to remove the tumor from my right breast and 18 Lymph Nodes from my right armpit in which two were determined cancerous.   In June I had surgery for the installation for a Medi-port in my right upper chest area for the administering of the chemotherapy drugs.

My cancer was classified as Stage II, which is considered to be early detection.  In this stage of breast cancer the tumor is fairly small in size but has spread to lymph nodes in the armpit OR cancer that is somewhat larger but has not spread to the lymph nodes.

My treatment regimen is 6 cycles of Chemotherapy.  I received Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin every 21 days.  I finished my last chemotherapy treatment on September 19th.

Although I won’t be receiving any more chemotherapy drugs I will still have to return every 21 days for the next six months to be administered the drug Herceptin.   Herceptin was included in my “chemo cocktail” all though it is not a chemotherapy drug.  Because of the type of breast cancer I have I must have this treatment for a full year.

It is a monoclonal antibody that is a type of biological therapy.  Herceptin only works on breast cancer patients with high levels of the protein HER2 such as I have.  This prevents the cancer cells from multiplying and growing.

Next up for me is Radiation Therapy.  In which I will have to go for treatment everyday for 6.5 weeks.   I will be meeting with the Radiologist Oncologist in the next 2-3 weeks for my Radiation consultation - treatment will begin some time in October.

My life has not been the same since March 28th 2008.  But, I think this experience will make me a better person and help me view and live my life differently.   I’m hoping my experience can help someone else.  

PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE, women do a monthly self-breast exam.  Don’t wait until you are 40 to have a mammogram – if you suspect something is wrong, or have a family history of breast cancer request one, even if your doctor says you are too young or doesn’t feel you need one.  And remember, men get breast cancer too! 

Men, encourage the women in your life to check their breast regularly.  I wouldn’t wish this disease on my worst enemy!  I will be walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 18th wish me luck!

Every hour 5 women die from breast cancer and 20 women will be told, “you have breast cancer.”

—by FL Hopkins