Cancer Awareness…the perpetuation of misconception?
This week I had to do one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had to tell my best friend goodbye. Last September she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. We all reeled with the shock of a six week prognosis and we rallied around her as though we could keep the cancer at bay holding her to us indefinitely.
Her strength was only eclipsed by her love and dedication to us and her beauty welled from within her making her always radiant despite the disease that ravaged her body. In the many conversations we had in the past few months her concerns were mostly for what her illness was doing to her family and friends. She spent much of her time trying to make her passing easier for us. I spent much of my time trying to reassure her and make her smile. She was cognitive to the last and even on her last day when she could no longer speak she made it clear that she recognized each of us and reacted to our last words together. She cried with those who cried and even managed to laugh at my last sad joke. You know that is one hell of a friend who can laugh at your stupid joke on her death bed.
Needless to say Cancer has caught my attention. Not just Lung Cancer but all cancers. My daughter-in-law was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer around the same time and is doing well. My daughter had Cervical Cancer and she is doing well. The difference?: Both the daughter and daughter-in-law caught the cancers early. By the time my friend was diagnosed the cancer had spread to her brain, kidney and lymph nodes. It was too late.
There are a lot of awareness campaigns out there and while I chose to believe that cancer awareness means any cancer it seems that breast cancer does the best job and that is the one we see the most. Pink ribbons have their own clothing and accessory line while many of us don’t even know that lime is for lymphoma, gray for brain cancer, orange for Leukemia, and on with purple being the universal color for cancer in general.
Today, on Face Book a message turned viral. I just happened to get it from my niece. It read: “Some fun is going on………..Just write the color of your bra in your status, just the color, nothing else, and send this on to only girls, no men…..It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of cancer awareness. It will be fun to see how long it takes before the men will wonder why all the girls have a color in their status! …. ha ha.
Someone sent this to me……. figured I’d give it a try! Can’t hurt! lol. 
PS if you’re not wearing one right now, just put the last one you had on or you’re favorite“
The girls in my niece’s group took it as a fun way to spread cancer awareness and they did have fun with it as cracks flew about bra color and who should wear one and who wasn’t and who didn’t have to worry about it.
Then my cousin, a group of friends and I debated the entire concept. The conversation posted as follows:
Cousin: Why the **** is everyone’s status a color? Should I not have taken that nap? Did I miss some sort of color apocalypse and you are letting me know which hue was last to make its demise?
Rebecca: Post Bra color to raise breast cancer awareness
Sarah : PS – Men get breast cancer too. This is why I refuse to participate. It doesn’t raise awareness, it perpetuates a misconception. This is pretty much the opposite.
Andrew: nice, the perpetuation of misconception. I love it. Plus… I wanted to point out that I.. uh see stuff about breast cancer everywhere. I think anyone with eyes knows it occurs, I thought awareness was something to be raised about topics that are generally swept under the rug in order to protect reputations against the evils of reality… for example…but… hey…. perpetuation of misconception… ****** a.
Rebecca: I just lost someone from cancer. I don’t think there is such a thing as perpetual misconception when it comes to the lethality of cancer. Do I think there are other areas under and misreported? Yes. Men do get breast cancer although I don’t know any and I do know several women who have had it and died as a result. I choose not to be so narrow in my thought process that I don’t appreciate the spirit in which the reminder was submitted.
Sarah: I too recently lost someone close to me to breast cancer. I’m not opposed to the message; I’m opposed to the exclusivity. The actual FB message being sent around instructs women to “not tell the boys”, like it’s some kind of cutesy little club. How is it at all responsible or awareness-promoting to exclude potential victims in an awareness campaign? Men go without diagnosis because they don’t know they can get breast cancer, and this silly little trend serves to perpetuate that.
Andrew: I personally have had loved ones suffer and die from breast cancer. It doesn’t remove my ability to step outside the frame work and see that Children’s Leukemia Awareness, for example, doesn’t seem to have as much steam as Breast cancer awareness. Not that one is worse than the other, but sometimes being a strong proponent for one specific thing unconsciously diminishes a different end of the spectrum.
Cousin: What the **** happened here? Personally, my bra is red and I don’t give a **** about that or what color anyone else is. I am also well educated on breast cancer as I think most everyone is these days. Breast cancer awareness is everywhere to the point that I think it may be being used as a marketing ploy to buy certain cereal or toothpaste. ‘we … See More are raising awareness so buy our sh*t’ I am too exhausted to partake in a fb debate about breast cancer and am not trying to diminish the severity of breast cancer but agree that the focus could be on something that people aren’t as aware of. I understand the spirit of the ‘game’ and also understand the misconceptions that people have. I’m done as I don’t really have anything worthwhile to say.
Claire: when I got the message, it didn’t say anything about breast cancer. It said “a silly and fun little game.” Frankly, it’s more than a bit ridiculous to imagine that posting the color of one’s bra will start one thinking more about breast cancer and doing something to further the cause of fighting said illness. It’s as stupid to me as the idea that clicking the “join” button on a face book cause actually does ANYTHING to further a real cause.
Cousin: Agreed Claire. I was wondering myself how posting your bra color was going to do anything at all and I’m glad they made breast cancer into such a fun little game! Maybe next we can go to the children’s hospital and kick over some kids in wheelchairs. Wouldn’t that raise awareness?
Rebecca: Thanks everyone for your insight. LOL I get the picture cousin. It is kind of kicking someone who is already down. The bra for the breast less? Like smog for lung, pregnancy for uterine or ovarian cancer. It is a new perspective.
So readers, I am asking you what you think. Do you see too many reminders of one thing and not enough of another? Are we perpetuating a misconception as Sarah suggested? Is there another side of this we missed? Please…leave your comments. I look forward to hearing them.
Protandim May Serve As Cancer Protection…
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Becky I agree with Shannon post. I only knew it to be something fun that girls were posting and lots of woman including my sister Deb has beaten Breast cancer but also has teams made up of some fun names to keep there spirits positive. and that’s what helps them to cope .so no, I don’t believe anyone I know would be offended at all. it was just a fun game they played.
I think this Facebook nonsense is a ploy by the bra industry to oppose the current increase in awareness that bras are the leading cause of breast cancer. They are trying to make bras seem like fun, not like torture devices that constrict the lymphatic system and cause fluid and toxins to accumulate. Google \bra lymphatics\ and you will see what bras are doing to women. Of course, the bra industry has been opposing this information since it came out in 1995 in the book, Dressed To Kill. For an excellent article on how this info has been covered up, see this: http://www.breastnotes.com/bc/bc-causes-singer-brabrcacoverup.htm
You know, this is a great post. I have mixed feelings though.
As the daughter in law that was diagnosed with the ovarian, I of course think that more people should know more about ovarian and why it’s such a big deal to push your doctor when you believe something is wrong.
I think it’s an underdog cause that will kill thousands of women this year, and I think that if more people knew about it, a great many of those lives could be spared before metastasis.
But, that’s not really the question. The question is would I be offended if there were a facebook movement to post the number of the day of the month you start your period as a fun little awareness project.
The answer is – no. I wouldn’t be offended. I’m about as open minded as they come. But even with a more conservative approach to it, I would see that these people are not stomping on me because my ovaries are gone, they’re using social networking for something that takes 2 seconds to do to feel like they’re part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
I’d also say that if these people want to take their contribution a step further to find a group like http://www.stupidcancer.com and put their badge on your site, or find one of their awesome sarcastic, fighting souls who have worked hard to beat cancer to spread some link love and help them get their story heard.
The point is who cares. As long as people care about the cancer and handing over the support to those who are suffering from it – THAT is what counts.
You can’t fathom the word helpless until you have your nose rubbed in your own mortality like you’re a bad puppy who just peed on a rug. Unless of course it’s your best friend who has it. Then you might have idea of that helpless feeling.
So, I say get the awareness out however you can. And if someone’s pissy about it, offer them some chocolate to boost their endorphins and tell them to take a dose of stfu.
At least that’s what I do.
That’s my two cents, for what it’s worth.
Becky, I’m so sorry about your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and her family. Hugs!