October is so weird. Usually we’re still running our A/C full force until the end but this year we’ve had several days of GORGEOUS warm, breezy, sunny, dry days followed by cool, dry nights. My happiness level soars to new heights when I can open the windows in my house and actually go outside without sweating uncomfortably.
Speaking of being uncomfortable, can I tell you how uncomfortable the whole LETS MAKE EVERYTHING PINK SO THAT PEOPLE WILL BE MORE “AWARE” OF BREAST CANCER (AND BUY OUR PINK STUFF) October campaign makes me? Do people truly still not know that breast cancer exists, and kills people (women and men) every day? Do we NEED to buy items like this to make us more aware?
Seriously? And don’t even get me started on THIS, which popped up on Regretsy’s facebook page this morning. It’s not for the faint-of-heart or prudish, so clicker beware.
My cousin Carmine made a great point last night on facebook about that ridiculous status update we’ve all been seeing about where women put their purses. I know it’s meant to be a funny way of promoting awareness, like how everyone posted their bra colors last year. That was ridiculous, too. So this morning he put up a link to a breast self-exam diagram, and I shared it on my page, too. And here it is, in case you have never seen one, or have forgotten how. I have decided to ignore the research that says self-exams are not effective, as well as that which says mammograms shouldn’t be done on women younger than 50. I myself have found lumps on more than one occasion (all non-cancerous) through self-exams that I’ve been doing since I was in college. When I was 21 I had a lump removed.
- Know your family history of cancer, and share it completely with your doctor.
- Do monthly self-exams (this is particularly helpful if, like me, you have lumps that appear periodically. You’ll learn to tell the difference between something that’s typical for you and something that’s unusual and bears further testing).
- Don’t ignore your gut telling you that you should be checked out.
Doing these three things above will do a hell of a lot more to solve the problem of breast cancer than buying a pink swiffer.
2 comments:
All the football players had on pink stuff the other day. That is just stupid. It does no good at this point. Plus, my aunt with lung cancer, pointed out that all this gets breast cancer all the research money and the other cancers aren't getting nearly as much.
It's fear that prevents most women from getting that 'lump' checked they have been agonizing over for who knows how long. Fear of being dehumanized, dewomanized, or just plain fear. Who knows how many are finally pushed over the edge at the sight of pink, and finally go to a doctor.
Every cancer has a 'cause', to which millions of dollars of 'research' funds are funneled by grief ridden relatives or empathetic others. Who can honestly expect a 'cure' when cancer is usually one's own cells turning renegade?
The only ones benefiting are the pharmacutical companies, scientists and their families.
As for the pink? It's working isn't it? And so is the yellow, teal, lavender etc.
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