Jumping on the Pink Bandwagon

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Maybe I have been too judgmental. "Awareness" remains a critical need during Pinktober, and throughout the year. Case in point:

I walk into our neighborhood Safeway store last evening with my 10 year old son. As I am in the check out line, the 10 year old spies a large handwritten sign that announces: REGISTER NOW TO WIN AN iPAD2!

Mom, can I go check it out?

He goes over to the table with the display. Yes, it is to benefit breast cancer, but it does not say which pinkindustry is sponsoring the drawing, the cost of tickets, or which non-profit is going to reap the proceeds. And, there are no entry forms

The manager eyes my son investigating the table, and then me. He walks over to me and informs, enthusiastically, that: yes my son may enter to win, would I like one ticket for $10 or 5 tickets for $50 (retail price break).

I ask who is sponsoring: Safeway (obvious)

I ask to whom is it benefiting: Breast Cancer (okay, obvious again...he must think I am a moron at this point)

I am still gnawing on the price break.

I rephrase. To which organization will Safeway be ~ donating (?) the funds: the funds will stay locally (what does that mean)

Deep breath...he is management after all.

I probe further. Which local organization will Safeway be giving the money raised from the ticket sales for the iPad2. Safeway  (WT....???)

Oh, Safeway has its own breast cancer organization: No, um, some money will go to Tucson (okay, I am in for a pound now)

Which organization in Tucson: Oh, there a lot of them in Tucson that do good work for breast cancer

And those would be: The large medical ones (price break goes to priceless)

I tell him that I think I am going to pass on purchasing the tickets. He still tries one last shot at inducing me to buy: Oh, and some of the money is going to Susan G. Komen, they do a lot in researching breast cancer awareness! That is a great cause.

Oh yes, yes it is!

Pinktoberfest Already...Its Only August...Yuk!

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Now this is a a guitar I would like see shredded on stage!

Hard Rock Pinktober Guitar 2011 -- Pinktober is going the way of the bermuda triangle of holdiays (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year)...starting earlier and earlier so retailers can get a jump start on their profit margin. Yipee skipee!

Goin' Down to "Pink Town"!

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Below is an excerpt of a posting on a blog I follow: The Cancer Chronicles."  I truly relate to not only the author's (Anna) writing style, but her message as well. Anna is one of those virtual voices that make feel less alone as I navigate the multiple planes of incongruity that color the lucrative cancer industry. A putrid color of bubble-gum pink. I have also included my comment to her posting at the end.

Thursday, February 17, 2011 -Pink Town

A recent article in the local newspaper caught my eye; "Fair Haven to Become 'Pink Haven' in April." This year three of my neighboring towns will be taking part in a campaign known as "Paint The Town Pink". Red Bank, Monmouth Beach and Fairhaven, will all magically morph into Pink Bank, Pink Beach and Pink Haven. All in aid of, you got it....not research...but breast cancer awareness, prevention and promotion of annual mammography for women.

Most of my regular readers will understand when I say that my first reaction to this news was to emigrate. Somewhere far away. Like Mongolia. Or Siberia. Even Antarctica seems like an attractive option. But would these places be far enough? Perhaps I can find a spot on an upcoming space mission.

The pink festival will run from April 30 through May 7. In addition to certain town roads having a pink stripe painted down the middle of them, options for community involvement include:

"...placing a pink piggy bank in a business for donations, window painting contests, pledge contests, or hosting an in-store event during the week.

Residents could also participate through a "Pink Your House" contest where residents would be provided a "Pink Starter Kit" containing lawn signs, flags, and other decorations."

Yes ! Pink your town! Pink your roads! Pink your business! Pink your house! Show your community that you don't give a crap about other cancers, or other incurable diseases, or anyone else for that matter who might not feel comfortable with all this pinkification.

Then I thought, perhaps it's time I stopped being a snarky cynic. Maybe it's time to get on board with the breast cancer celebrations and really throw myself into supporting the towns' efforts in raising funds for more breast cancer awareness. Okay, so awareness won't ever result in a cure but let's not worry about such trifling matters for now.  [link to Cancer Chronicles from my profile page to read more...]

Anna - I am puking pink right now, just from reading what "Pink Haven" has in store. The irony is that all this "pink waving" campaign of awareness is exploitation and ignorance. Exploitation on the part of the orgs, companies, and retailers that turn a profit from the merchandising; and ignorance on the part of well-meaning individuals who join the pink fray without asking the key questions:
*  WHOSE CAUSE IS THIS TRULY SERVING?
*  HOW IS AWARENESS OF A WELL-KNOWN AND INCREASINGLY PREVALENT DISEASE TRANSLATING INTO TANGIBLE STEPS TOWARD FINDING A CURE?
*  WHY, DESPITE THE ONGOING PINK PARADES, ARE MORE WOMEN BEING AFFECTED BY BREAST CANCER?
*  WHY IS BREAST CANCER SUCH A LUCRATIVE NICHE INDUSTRY?

*  WHY IS IT THAT THE SAME COMPANIES THAT FUND TRIALS FOR "NEW CURES" SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCE PRODUCTS WITH KNOWN CARCINOGENS? I could go on, but I think I made my point. Anna, I applaud you fighting the "Pink Beast" in whichever way you can/choose. I believe that the Pink Beast truly does more harm, has a palpable chilling effect on a real discussion, and detrimentally distracts people from asking the truly critical questions about the epidemic of breast cancer.

Kindly...STOP Waving the Pink Ribbon in My Face!

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Dichotomy – splitting into two polarized groups; opposed by contradiction; differentiated between practice & theory

As I was pulling into the home driveway yesterday evening I got a call on my personal cell displaying an unfamiliar phone number. It had already been a confusing day. I had just arrived 10 hours prior from an emotionally charged 5-days in New England, and had spent the day dealing with myriad of “high octane” feelings. I thought when you “left your heart” in a distant geographical location the sensation would be that of a gaping hole in your chest wall. For me, since Sunday and my departure from N.E., my chest wall is exploding! I can’t catch my breath. Indeed, I almost feel like if I were able to I would erupt on the exhale.

But I digress. Back to the unexpected call and the unwitting caller...

A very chipper voice on the line greets me with “Hi Tamera! This is Janice. Janice? I am so excited to share with you that we will be shortly getting in our Pink-Ribbon Breast Cancer Survivor Bracelets and we are taking pre-orders. I didn’t want you to miss out!” Well OMG my arse! “Janice, darling (I have a BFF who uses “darling” to refer to nearly everyone. As a slang-word junkie I thought I would try it out myself in discreet situations – like when it would not be appropriate to verbally rip someone a new one). . .Janice. as a SURVIVOR let me tell you that although I so appreciate your thoughtfulness, not to mention your exuberance, I would not order, pre-order, purchase, gracefully accept, adorn myself or even consider giving as a gift to my nemesis a ghastly pink-ribbon doo-dad. If I wanted to broadcast my status, I would sew a yellow star to my clothes; embroider a scarlet C on my chest; or indulge in word-vomit all over a self-published blog. Obviously I have chosen the latter. Thank you very much." Janice came up with at least 17 different ways to sputter out an apology. Poor darling – I probably was a tad harsh.

For those of you who have traversed my path through the maze that is breast cancer, you may recall my vehement disdain for the Pink Ribbon Industry that has capitalized on raising awareness (like who has not heard of it) of breast cancer by merchandising, packaging, and marketing breast cancer as PINK & FLUFFY!!!!!!

It is not.

Realistic adjectives for breast cancer are: slice, dice, slash, burn, disfiguring, painful . . . in short not a heck of a lot of fun.

So, as the retail market enters their nauseating month of pink satiny ribbons, fluffy pink beanie babies, shiny bracelets and sport hats & Ts that color Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please remember “THINK BEFORE YOUR PINK” and check out bca.org

The Pink Elephant

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Living with a chronic disease...be it cancer, leukemia, diabetes, MS...is like living with the proverbial "Pink Elephant" in the room. Everyone knows it is there. Everyone sees and feels its oppressive, offensive, and uninvited presence. Yet, no one wants to call it by name. Everyone steps gingerly around its massive bulk. All those in close proximity hold their respective noses when they get too close. When it eventually takes the dreaded, but anticipated, crap on the carpet, the response is to tie a putrid pink little ribbon around it to make everyone aware that it there.

Awarenes

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Pink Ribbons are flying!

What does that really mean ... AWARENESS???????

Before I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, I was aware of the prevalence of breast cancer. I knew it was a disease that struck mostly post menopausal women. I was aware that women who have family histories; who smoked; who took oral contraceptives for prolonged periods of time were more likely to be stricken with breast cancer. I was aware of mammograms and lumps and lumpectomies and mastectomies. I was aware of the existence of radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

I was aware of our local news station and its "Buddy Check 12" campaign. I was aware of the Pink Ribbon campaigns. I was aware that every October there was a hub-bub about the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure. I was so aware that for the last 15 years I ran the Race for the Cure; ironically shaving off up to 8 minutes in my pace time each year. (As it turns out, I guess I wasn't running fast enough!!!!)

It wasn't until I was blind-sided with a diagnosis of breast cancer this summer that I became aware of the breadth of my ignorance. There was, and still is, so much that I did not know about the disease and its treatment. And, none of the information I received over the last 15 years of my "pink" involvement ever even hinted at the depths of my naivete.

For example . . .

I did not know there were myriad of causes of breast cancer - the majority being environmental
I did not know that women without genetic predispositions could get breast cancer
I did not know that women who did not live a high-risk lifestyle could develop breast cancer
I did not know that there were subsets to breast cancer (ductal, lobular, inflammatory and Paget's Disease)
I did not know that as a pre-menopausal woman in good health I could develop breast cancer
I did not know about sentinel node biopsies
I did not know about drainage tubes ("d-bombs")
I did not know about tram flaps; or that as a 100+/- lb person I am not a candidate for one (And thank the Creator for that one - not a procedure I would have wanted!)
I did not know about the long term effects of chemotherapy
I did not know about Adriamycin (aka "Red Devil")
I did not know about Tamoxifen (or that outside of the U.S. it is listed as a cancer-causing carcinogen)
I did not know about Herceptin and Aromatase
I did not know that the medical community treated pre-menopausal women differently than post menopausal women
I did not know about Oncotype DX and MammaPrint tests for chemo efficacy
I did not know about how a cancer is "staged"
I did not know that mammograms are not a reliable or effective way to early-detect Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
I did not know that a Vitamin D deficiency can be a contributing cause in the development of breast cancer
I did not know how key Vitamin C is in preventing the occurrence and recurrence of breast cancer
I did not know that a build up estrogen in the body is toxic.
I did not know that the only way the body effectively disposes of unneeded estrogen is through daily waste elimination
I did not know about E-cadherin and protein tests and saliva tests and hormonal balancing
I did not know about the vast discrepancies in how breast cancer is approached and treated in the U.S. as compared to Europe - and that stateside we are not on the higher road

and so it goes on, and on, and on . . . . AND

I did not know what an insidious and pervasive industry that breast cancer has generated in the U.S.

I did not know that the med-pros really do not have a "CURE" for breast cancer, but rather a "PROTOCOL" - that they are vociferous in the application of their established protocol; that the protocol has not changed much in 50 years; and that despite the protocol women are still dying - at times as a result of the protocol.

I did not know that even though 100s of millions are raised for research, awareness, marketing and merchandising that we are still no closer to a cure.

I did not know that some of the pharmaceutical companies that produce & distribute cancer treatment drugs consciously include cancer-causing carcinogens in the household products and foods we consume.


I did not know that I would need to become my own "lay expert" in order to earn a voice in the discussion regarding my own health and treatment.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, I am a little more aware this October of 2009 than I have been in all my previous years. I am also excruciatingly aware that my new found knowledge and the continuing pursuit of knowledge has nothing to do with the flying of little Pink Ribbons!

PSA - I am not alone in my subversive tendencies!

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Subject: Pink will never be the same

http://www.bcaction.org/

Dear Friends,

I'm sure you've noticed that the color pink is now synonymous with breast cancer "awareness." Every year, thousands of companies boost their sales and their image during Breast Cancer Awareness month by tacking pink ribbons to products that range from Vespas to toilet paper (yes, even a "Wipe for the Cure" promotion). Pink ribbon cause marketing is a racket that far too often exploits breast cancer.

This October, we invite you to see pink from a whole new perspective.

Join us in San Francisco at the ArtHaus Gallery to view an exhibit featuring Bay Area and New York artists responding to the pink ribbon industry that has emerged around breast cancer. Once you see this show, you'll "Think Before You Pink®" in a whole new way.

Opening reception: Friday, October 2nd, 6-9pm.
(Exhibit runs through October 31st, 2009.)
ArtHaus Gallery is located at 411 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA
20% of all exhibition sales will
benefit BREAST CANCER ACTION from October 1-31st, 2009.

A limited edition poster "This Elixir - It Won't Fix Her" is available for $50 (plus shipping and handling). To purchase your poster contact BCA @ 415-243-9301 ext. 22. All proceeds from the poster benefit BCA.

For our friends outside the Bay Area, throughout October the exhibition will be available to view on line at www.arthaus-sf.com.

See you there!

Breast Cancer Action | 55 New Montgomery St. #323 | San Francisco, CA 94105
Toll-free at 877-2STOPBC (278-6722) | www.bcaction.org | www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org