Color me stupid, but I don't get it. As a Facebook user (a/k/a addict) I was all confused when friends started posting their status as beige, white, blue, red and white, black, etc. I didn't understand. Then someone said that it was a breast cancer awareness thing and women were asked to post their bra color as their status. Then men started asking what this was and adding their 'comments' which were not related to color of bras but uses for bras and where they would like to find them.
Then a friend of mine on Facebook asked people to stop as she had a bilateral mastectomy and can't wear a bra because its painful. She had breast cancer and was very upset by this.
Finally on the news this morning, there is information that explains it in detail. Evidently women were also asked as the next step to visit the Komen foundation's website to learn more about breast cancer. Apparently it was started by users on FaceBook and not by the Komen foundation but it increased traffic to their website by 2000%.
What have we learned here? It was a relatively innocent idea that was not fully communicated. I never posted my bra color as I thought it was a bit ridiculous. The men who posted rude comments as a result were not raising awareness of breast cancer but more showing their insensitivity. The women with breast cancer don't always appreciate it.
Yes there are other cancers out there besides breast cancer. Is breast cancer the only socially acceptable cancer to have these days? I am someone dealing with multiple cancers - two for me and one now for my husband. What can we do for people with other cancers to raise awareness? There are about 200,000 cases of breast cancer in the US each year, about 30,000 cases of thyroid cancer, and 100,000 cases of colon cancer. There are millions of people living with cancer. Breast cancer is only one cancer. I would like to see the kind of awareness we have for breast cancer for all cancers.
6 comments:
I agree with you all the way.
Barb
Caroline,
I have just added a new feature to my website - www.beingcancer.net - called Top Ten Commentators, a ranking of the people who commented on the blog. You made the list! The feature is in the left sidebar and contains a direct link to your site so you might see some extra traffic. I also did some other improvements that you can read about in “New Year’s New Face”. Thanks for helping to build a strong cancer blogging community.
I'm a 2-time bc survivor and thriver - and have been totally revived by a dvd i just found made for women with breast cancer called 'The Path of Wellness And Healing.' It's like an encyclopedia for breast cancer but it's also moving, inspiring, the whole nine. Every doctor from deepak Chopra to Dean Ornish is on it and every celeb bc survivor from Sheryl Crow to Melissa Ethridge. So awesome!!!
In most cases, small and confined tumor is detected to be the root cause of breast cancer. It first develops in the breast tissues---it can develop either in the milk ducts or in the glands. The first type of cancer is classified as ductal carcinoma and the second as lobular carcinoma.
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You are so right! Awareness is only the first step, then education. Breast Cancer may be the entry point for most to start learning the risk and healthier living practices, but other cancers should be explored and made aware of.
The causes of breast cancer are not entirely understood, although it is clear that a woman's age, gender and lifetime disclosure to estrogen and her age at the time of her first childbirth can play a vital role. Because, no one knows precisely what causes breast cancer, there is no way to avoid it just by diet or medications. However, there are steps that every woman can take that may make emergent of this cancer less likely.
There are three fundamental methods:
Mammograms - These are X-ray snapshots of the breast. They can find breast cancer in its initial stages, even before a lump can be felt. All women 40 and older should have a mammogram yearly. If the person is younger than 40 with either a family history, or other concerns talk with your health care provider about when to start getting mammograms.
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