Do you "Think Pink"?

I have found myself struggling with the month of October for the last few years. I wanted to write about how I felt regarding the "pink month" but was not quite sure how to put it into words as I have mixed emotions on this subject. I read this message from Dr. Susan Love for Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day on a friends blog. I believe she says it well for those of us who may not "Think Pink".

"By now you have noticed that it is October, and that a pink haze has settled on the land. The message of “early detection saves lives” has been broadcast on every form of media available. But there is a part of the breast cancer story that is less “feel good” and less frequently mentioned– woman living with metastatic breast cancer.

Have we gotten better at detecting breast cancer? Yes. Have we gotten better at treating this disease? Yes. But we haven’t gotten good enough. Despite doing everything that we now can, about 25 percent of the women who are diagnosed with and treated for early-stage breast cancer will later learn that they have metastatic disease. An additional 4 to 6 percent of all breast cancer cases will be in women whose initial diagnosis is stage IV, metastatic disease.

Right now, about 150,000 people in this country are living with metastatic breast cancer. At this stage, the cancer can be treated–and women can live for many years with stage IV disease– but it is not considered curable.
These women, as Roni Caryn Rabin wrote in the New York Times, “…are not [leading] pink-ribbon lives: They live from scan to scan, in three-month gulps, grappling with pain, fatigue, depression, crippling medical costs and debilitating side effects of treatment, hoping the current therapy will keep the disease at bay until the next breakthrough drug comes along, or at least until the family trip to Disney World.” Some will live for years; others won’t be so lucky. Elizabeth Edwards comes to mind.

October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and I can’t tell you how important it is that there is at least one day in October that is dedicated to acknowledging that not everyone is cured and not every cancer is found early. We need to stop congratulating ourselves on our progress and start focusing on figuring out why these women have not benefited from all the money we have raised. Reach out today to someone you know that represents the other side of breast cancer, the one that is not so pink. We will not have accomplished this goal as long as one woman dies of this disease!"

Conflicted....

I came across this on Facebook from the Lance Armstrong foundation. With this being October and breast cancer awareness month I do find myself at times feeling conflicted over the "pink" advertising you see everywhere.
On one side of things,the awareness and support is wonderful. If the proceeds are truly going towards breast cancer research and helping survivors and their families it is a great thing.
I myself support research, raise money and participate in events all the time through organizations like Komen, American Cancer Society, Team In Training and Livestrong. The money raised, research, help and support to patients and their families is invaluable.I guess the conflict for me is feeling it has become commercialized. Breast cancer is neither pretty or pink. The picture above is the absolute reality of breast cancer.To many the pink is a sign of hope and support, it can also be a label that none of us ever  wanted and a constant reminder everyday of what we have been through and what we still live with.
I knew I had been feeling conflicted about this lately so one day I decided to see what would happen when we went to a restaurant with a large group of people that  was all decorated with pink balloons, hats, shirts, ribbons, etc. I wondered if they truly supported the "cause" they were displaying everywhere.I asked if there was anything special they did for breast cancer survivors.  He asked me if I was a survivor and I told him yes, of 12 years. After dinner, he and the manager brought out a huge desert with several spoons for me and our table to share. And share we did, passing it around the table 2 times before we  were all too full to finish it. My wonderful family and friends sang "Happy Survivor Day" showing their support as they always do. Kudos to On The Border!
As the title indicates "Conflicted"....on this one.