Awareness
I guess I’m a bit concerned by the “Bra-Color Facebook Status” breast cancer awareness campaign. (Plus, I’m kind of creeped out at the idea of giving all 695 of my Facebook friends the opportunity to think about my boobs.)
So here’s why I’m concerned:
In 2007, a group of my Theta Nu sisters participated in the Race for the Cure in Columbus. We were honoring our sister Ellen’s mom, Joy who was re-diagnosed with breast cancer in February that year. The most memorable image I have of that day was turning the corner onto High Street and seeing this ocean of pink and white walking in front of us. There were thousands of people in front of us. I remember being overwhelmed; overwhelmed with awe by how many people had banded together for this one cause, and overwhelmed with sorrow that so many people have been impacted by the disease. That moment is forever imprinted on my heart and in my mind.In 2009, an estimated 194,280 new cases of breast cancer were documented. (1,910 of those estimated cases were men, so I find it rather bothersome that we’re focusing on bra color.) An estimated 40,610 souls lost their lives to breast cancer last year. So that’s a total of 234,890 people estimated to have been directly affected by breast cancer. That’s a little less than the total population of St. Petersburg, FL, so it’s basically an entire city. And these are estimated new cases and deaths from just last year. That’s not including the people who have passed on or are still battling the disease diagnosed in years prior.
Anyone who has been close to someone with any serious illness can tell you that the disease doesn’t just affect the individual; it affects their entire community. And by "community", I don't mean locale; I mean the people they are connected to. Each of those 234,890 people has a mother. They have fathers. They have friends. They have children. They have co-workers. They have neighbors. They are your pastor. They are your teacher. They are your coach. They are your sorority sister. They are the nice person who works at the grocery store who always goes out their way to ask you how your day has been.
It’s you. You are affected. Whether you have breast cancer or not, chances are you know someone who has it currently or has had it in the past.
So get educated. Do you know how old you need to be when you need to start getting a mammogram? Do you know the risk factors and warning signs? Do you know how to look for a lump in your breast? Did you think about these questions as you were typing the color of your bra in your status box? Did you take a moment to honor someone you know who’s no longer here because of breast cancer? If you didn’t, please do so right now.
Awareness is about knowing the facts. You must be educated. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a guy or a girl. Get educated. Breast cancer is so much bigger than what color bra I’m wearing.
I don’t write this to be snarky or self-righteous; there’s nothing wrong with the trend; in fact, I love that Facebook gives the opportunity for a great idea developed by a small group of individuals to be accessed by millions of people. I write this because I have been blessed with a fantastic community of people I love, and I know too many people in that community who have been affected in one way or another. So please make sure the movement accomplishes what it intended, and goes beyond being just a popular trend. This isn’t the “25 Things About Me” survey. This is real.
We have to beat this.
So here are your resources. These links are where some of my numbers came from:
www.komen.org
www.cancer.org
You’ve read my note. You have no excuse. Go get the facts.
Besides, if you want to know what color bra I’m wearing, you at least have to buy me dinner first.
That was a joke. ;)
