Which cancer are we going to support today?

Posted by SuperADDMom on January 12, 2010

Types of cancer-possible ways to raise awareness.

Bladder cancer-post on FB status/twitter/blog every time you pee
Brain cancer-post on FB status/twitter/blog the color of the hat your wearing
Cervical cancer- post on FB status/twitter/blog your underwear color
Childhood cancer-post on FB status/twitter/blog the color of your KIDS shirt
Colorectal cancer-post on FB status/twitter/blog everytime you have a crap today
Gallbladder cancer-post on FB status/twitter/blog everytime you eat something greasy today

ohhh! What? I’m being mean am I? That’s Rude? How? I’ve missed the point have I? It was all in fun? I don’t know what people did after they posted their bra color, or that they already do give? What am *I* doing?

I DID NOT post my bra color.

I’m not letting this die, because MORE people are reading THIS and thinking about the whole thing, by the time I’ve spent on THIS ( which is now over 3 hours over the last few days!) than they were made to think about cancer by anyone posting due to an obscure “secretive” plot to raise awareness about breast cancer by posting the color of their bra in their facebook status that stay posted as current status for less than an hour for most.

So did YOU do something else besides post your bra color? do YOU give to cancer research?

Is breast cancer more important than any other cancer?

I don’t think the man I know who’s wife has been diagnosed with a rare skin cancer on her face is comforted by knowing your bra color.

I asked a woman who’s cancer has returned what she thought about it all. This is what she wrote me in twitter DM’s.

ME: What do you think about the  facebook Bra status recently? there are people who think doing that and only that makes a difference. I think it is basically slacktavism, if that is ALL they did.

HER: Totally. But. You’re talking to someone who did the 3-day 60-mile Breast Cancer Walk. And raised $15k dollars. That’s not to brag- at all.

I did it ( the run) for my daughter- so maybe she won’t have to get a mammogram every year starting at age 20 like I did. When the doctor called with the results. I really thought Breast Cancer was how I’d go- every woman in my family has had it by age 35.

ME: That’s GREAT (that you ran and raised so much!) But that’s DOING something. Some people think that JUST posting their bra color was actually DOING something, and are justifying it because it made the media.

HER:  I think (someone else on twitter) nailed it when she said, “We KNOW about breast cancer. EVERYONE knows about breast cancer!”

ME: I’m trying to get people to see that just “raising awareness” means nothing if there is nothing else in action behind it.

HER: I would say one of the Top Five lessons we’ve tried to teach our kids- is to GET INVOLVED. Don’t throw money at a cause. Donate what you can and then back it up with some volunteerism.

ME: I agree, people KNOW about cancer. People need to “DO” about cancer.

HER: I think just the word, “Cancer!”, holds a power of its own. The difference in reactions between, “I have cancer,” & “I’m having some health issues,” is astounding. I’ve stopped using the word cancer. Unless someone asks for details, they don’t know.

ME: I can imagine that people instantly treat you different when they hear “I have cancer”. I refused to participate in the Bra status, I don’t agree that is makes an ounce of difference. It just makes people feel good about themselves. But i cannot afford to donate money, so I’ve been looking into a crochet for comfort organization for cancer patients, and I’ve offered to help a neighbor in treatment with housework, or to give her husband a break and visit w/ her. It’s no much, but it’s SOMETHING.

HER: That means so much more to people. It touches them on a personal level. Both the giver and the receiver. And you can quote me my life is an open book.

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We don’t need any more massive AWARENESS campaigns…and if we do, that’s a poor way to do it. Everyone knows cancer sucks…

If they are not doing anything about it even now that they know, your bra color status up for a little while on your FB page, before you posted that your kid walked, or spoke for the first time, or that you were tired, or going to work, or eating supper, doesn’t make ONE OUNCE of difference.

It took 9 hours before I personally got an email about doing it, after I’d read the first one word color status on someone’s FB profile page earlier that day.

how many people who GOT the message, forwarded the message? NOT ONE PERSON on my private personal FB list forwarded it to me. I got it on a separate FB account I have for professional connections. I got it from ONE woman, and I have a list of over 50 WOMEN contacts on that professional FB account whom mostly ALL posted the color of their bra.

ONE person out of those women on my FB bothered to forward it to me, out of the more than 30 who posted the color.

Yet there are at least 7 people on my regular private FB who posted their bra color, who have breast cancer in our own families, and didn’t even forward it.

How’s that for awareness?

And, I have to ask why the bra, why breast cancer?

Why not a universal cancer symbol? for EVERYONE, not just women?

Good intentions? so now I’m putting down the person who thought to start it? I’m such a mean person!

What about these cancers??

Kidney cancer
Leukemia Liver cancer (primary)
Lung cancer
Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Oral cancer
Ovarian cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer
Skin cancer- melanoma
Skin cancer- Non-melanoma
Small intestine cancer
Stomach cancer
Testicular cancer
Thyroid cancer

ask ANYONE with THESE cancers or who had a family member struggle through or died of them if breast cancer awareness is MORE important.

Ask them how they think you can help forward cancer research, or aid THEM.

I bet everyone of us knows someone in our own towns/family of us who is driving to and from chemo treatments to try and beat SOME KIND of cancer, and it has thrown their lives into a tailspin.

Why don’t you go ask them if they care about your facebook status?

Cancer is not a number, or faceless. No type of cancer is more important or worse than any other.

We forget that though….because cancer awareness is SO loud in our medias.

So, go ahead… talk about it all you want. Put me down for my opinion. I’m being a voice. I’m not the only person who feels like this. I’ll take the flack. the number of private messages I’ve gotten from people who agree with me and DO stuff about cancer outnumber the amount of people I’ve seen on BOTH of my facebook accounts post thier bra color.

Wear a ribbon all you want… if you are not doing anything ELSE, don’t act like you care. You’re just trying to look good to others.

You wanna DO something? You wanna FEEL good about it? pick one of the following.

Run in a fund raiser for cancer, get sponsors to donate money.

pay for a lunch for a cancer patient and the person giving up work to drive them to and from cancer treatments.

buy them some groceries. chances are the cancer patient had to give up work, and their household income just decreased by double or ALL.

pay for a month of car insurance so they can afford to keep the car on the road legal to get to the treatments

pay for the parking at the treatment center

pay for their gas for ONE WAY to ONE cancer treatment.

buy them a nice hat or scarf for when they lose all their hair while they are trying to kill the cancer before it or the chemo, kills them.

make them a dinner so they don’t have to cook ONE SUPPER

babysit their kids while they go to a treatment.

visit them, make them laugh, try to make them forget for just 1 second they are dealing with a life and death situation.

I’m broke literally, I go to a food bank every month to feed my children, I rely on cheap hand me downs to clothe my kids because we are on a disability pension for an illness my husband has, that hardly anyone knows enough about….

THIS…..speaking up… making you  keep thinking about it. not letting you forget….is part of my contribution.

I’ve offered a neighbour help housecleaning, or cooking because he is driving his wife 150 klm away for cancer treatments since just before Christmas, and is losing income doing so, to try an save his wifes life, in her second round of treatment.

I’m looking into a crochet for comfort  organization to donate comfort items and my time and love to people with cancer…it’s not much, but it is something.

Are you going to DO anything? If not, stop pretending you are. You’re only lying to YOURSELF.