Breast Cancer Awareness Month is Great; Pink, Not So Much!

October is complicated for me. Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) always brings mixed feelings. Six years, and I still can’t stomach pink!

As I have mentioned here before, breast cancer ruined the color pink. I am thrilled with BCAM’s awareness of the disease but appalled at all the “Pinkwashing” that major brands embrace.

If you are unfamiliar with the phrase pinkwashing, see the definition below that I found in the Urban Dictionary:

Pinkwashing: The act of using breast cancer to guilt consumers into buying a product which, if it had not been for the advent of aiding the cure for cancer, they would not have purchased.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As a survivor and a blogger, I feel pressure to write a blog dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). Almost as if it is my duty. Is that ridiculous? For starters, it doesn’t feel right to ignore BCAM since I am a survivor. Six years already! I genuinely believe every day is a blessing.

I started this Outwittinglife blog to help me heal through writing and to educate others about breast cancer treatment and survival. Looking back on earlier blogs, this journey has been a cathartic experience. The biggest lesson learned? The cancer journey never ends. Before becoming a patient, I had no way of knowing this. I find it shocking.

I used to think that when you became ill, you went to a doctor, and they fixed you. Ah, the ignorance of being young! Reality hit when my mom began suffering from congestive heart failure. The doctors spent more time ruling out how to treat it than finding ways to fix it. Does that make sense? It was frustrating to no end! Why didn’t they cure her? Eventually, they found the correct medicine to temper her congestive heart failure. But they never fixed her. It was a huge life lesson for me. Medicine is not as black and white as I thought.

Research Proves Early Detection Saves Lives

Therein lies my problem. Can we please spend more time funding research for a cure and less time painting the town pink? Women (and men) are dying every day that we purchase pink mugs and tee-shirts and wave pink flags. Our society has done a great job creating awareness and getting folks to recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). Women should storm doctors’ offices’ every October to get their mammograms done. Not enough progress? Perhaps we should look at our priorities. Send the money you would spend on cute Pinktober outfits directly to a research lab. Pink is not a cure.

Okay, that’s enough from my soap box for now. Can you tell I am an advocate for funding research?

Consider Locally Supporting Breast Cancer Patients

This year, I am finally taking action during breast cancer awareness month. It has taken me over six years to get to this point, and I am proud of myself. Pinktober has been hard to witness, and I think I know why. All of the pink and pinkwashing has made me uncomfortable because it feels like we celebrate breast cancer. Believe me, there is no reason to celebrate breast cancer (or any cancer).

As I have mentioned in previous posts/blogs, small deeds can make a huge impact. So, I am taking my own advice. I am honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month in a small, local way. I have partnered with my friends Tricia and Rhonda to solicit donations of Willing Beauty Lip Lock Healing Lip Treatment for cancer patients going through chemotherapy. We will hand deliver the lip treatments donated to the chemotherapy infusion place where I received my treatments.

I hope you consider purchasing a lip treatment for a cancer patient. Chemo does a number on your lips when you are getting infusions. My lips were cracked and chapped and really hurt. Lip Lock makes your lips feel good. Please comment below, and I will text you the info to participate.

Breast Cancer Statistics Are Overwhelming

In conclusion, here’s some statistics published by the American Cancer Society earlier this year:

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. It is about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers yearly.

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2023 are: 

• About 297,790 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. 
• Almost 55,720 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will be diagnosed.  
• About 43,700 women will die from breast cancer.

You can learn lots more information here: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html. Close to 44,000 women will die from breast cancer in 2023. That’s a lot of women! We need to continue to focus on finding a cure. I sincerely hope you and I live long enough to see it.

P.S. Don’t forget to comment below so I can forward you the info on donating a lip treatment—many thanks for considering my request.