Monday, September 15, 2008
"2 young"
Those of you who use RSS feeds to follow my blog, please click out to the actual blog.
First, you will see happy new Fall graphics.
Next, I'd like to ask you to scroll down a bit and peruse the "2 young" menu on the right side of the page. These are some of the women I've encountered on the Young Survival Coalition bulletin boards. It is by no means a comprehensive list of all the women there who have their own blogs, web pages, MySpace pages, Caring Bridge pages, Facebook pages, etc. But I quail at adding more names because it's a pretty long list, even here.
Two of the pages in the list now belong to women who have died from their breast cancer. "Jayme" would have been 36 at the end of this past July, but she didn't make it to her birthday. "Courtney - bccourtney" died last night at the age of 23. She was a dancer; she was diagnosed three years ago and the disease ate her body away.
I don't really know what to do with the links, because they won't be updated. Do I just whittle the list down, or do I leave the names, knowing that nothing new will be posted; no answers will be listed on their personal pages about where they are and what they are doing?
Sorry for the downer. It's just vitally important for people to know that young women do get breast cancer, and that young women also die from it. "Early detection" and "prevention" are worthy concepts, but insufficient. Is "Cure" too much to hope for? I hope for myself and for the women listed in the right margin--and for all women dealing with breast cancer who aren't in my feeble list--that it isn't.
I guess if you are bummed now, try looking at the happy Fall graphics again.
Love,
Janet
First, you will see happy new Fall graphics.
Next, I'd like to ask you to scroll down a bit and peruse the "2 young" menu on the right side of the page. These are some of the women I've encountered on the Young Survival Coalition bulletin boards. It is by no means a comprehensive list of all the women there who have their own blogs, web pages, MySpace pages, Caring Bridge pages, Facebook pages, etc. But I quail at adding more names because it's a pretty long list, even here.
Two of the pages in the list now belong to women who have died from their breast cancer. "Jayme" would have been 36 at the end of this past July, but she didn't make it to her birthday. "Courtney - bccourtney" died last night at the age of 23. She was a dancer; she was diagnosed three years ago and the disease ate her body away.
I don't really know what to do with the links, because they won't be updated. Do I just whittle the list down, or do I leave the names, knowing that nothing new will be posted; no answers will be listed on their personal pages about where they are and what they are doing?
Sorry for the downer. It's just vitally important for people to know that young women do get breast cancer, and that young women also die from it. "Early detection" and "prevention" are worthy concepts, but insufficient. Is "Cure" too much to hope for? I hope for myself and for the women listed in the right margin--and for all women dealing with breast cancer who aren't in my feeble list--that it isn't.
I guess if you are bummed now, try looking at the happy Fall graphics again.
Love,
Janet
Labels: awareness, cure, metastasis, prevention, YSC
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Preventing a Recurrence
Recently over at YSC, a discussion arose about how to prevent a recurrence of cancer.
Whereas I can understand people wanting to feel like they are being proactive about their health--and that they have some control over their destiny, this sort of topic always makes me angry. Will cutting out alcohol help? Taking vitamins? Exercise is the key, isn't it?
If by omitting something, or by adding something else one can prevent a recurrence, the implication is that I did something wrong. Did my cancer recur because I still drink diet soda? Did it recur because my BMI is too high? Did I just not pray hard enough?
This was my response:
A lot of literature focuses on breast cancer prevention--early screenings, better evaluation of whose cancer will be aggressive, a vaccine--but I also hope that everyone remembers we do also need a CURE for those of us who didn't get lucky in our treatment.
I'll be waiting.
Whereas I can understand people wanting to feel like they are being proactive about their health--and that they have some control over their destiny, this sort of topic always makes me angry. Will cutting out alcohol help? Taking vitamins? Exercise is the key, isn't it?
If by omitting something, or by adding something else one can prevent a recurrence, the implication is that I did something wrong. Did my cancer recur because I still drink diet soda? Did it recur because my BMI is too high? Did I just not pray hard enough?
This was my response:
I refuse to believe that anything I did, or did not do, contributed to my recurrence. I've suffered enough shock/grief/anger/sadness about it without adding self-recrimination.
But now in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle I avoid:
snorting asbestos
bathing regularly in benzene
eating used aluminum ashtrays
playing in traffic
leaping into a pit of wild ferrets while dressed in a suit made of steak
blaming myself for things I can't control.
A lot of literature focuses on breast cancer prevention--early screenings, better evaluation of whose cancer will be aggressive, a vaccine--but I also hope that everyone remembers we do also need a CURE for those of us who didn't get lucky in our treatment.
I'll be waiting.
Labels: cure, metastasis, prevention, YSC
Friday, September 29, 2006
Think Before You Pink
I want to say first that I do not personally object to the use of pink to represent breast cancer awareness. I don't mind pink ribbons. I've got a pink ribbon Beanie Baby sitting on top of my computer monitor, and am eating special edition pink M&Ms which Brian bought yesterday. It makes me feel good when I realize the ribbon on the car in front of me isn't one of those red white and blue "Support our troops" ribbons (no offense, troops...y'all need to come home), but a pink one in support of ME.
However, not all breast cancer survivors are thrilled with the pink, or with the pink ribbons, and it might be a good idea to ponder why.
Think Before You Pink is one organization which raises some serious questions about the history of the pink ribbon campaign, where the funds go, what actually gets supported, and whether or not it's all just a marketing gimmick designed to make people shell out big money while feeling warm fuzzies.
I've been reading messages on the Young Survivor's Coalition bulletin boards posted by women who've had their love for pink (if, indeed, they ever had it to begin with) utterly destroyed by its association with breast cancer. One woman even wrote to comment that seeing little girls dressed in pink is now very weird and creepy. Another wrote to say that her husband had black shirts made with "cancer sucks" printed on them in teal for her family.
Try to be sensitive, and don't assume that the pink bracelet or pink ribbon ribbon pins will be welcomed by those dealing with breast cancer. The pink campaign isn't really meant for us, you see. Survivors, especially those actively battling the disease, are already perfectly aware of breast cancer.
Aren't we all already aware that cancer is bad? Can we hope for action, instead of just awareness? Can we hope for prevention or a cure, instead of old hormonal medications (I'm talking about YOU, Tamoxifen) that cause other cancers, or highly toxic treatments that destroy healthy cells in addition to cancer cells? More on that later. Right now I've got pink chocolate candies to eat.
However, not all breast cancer survivors are thrilled with the pink, or with the pink ribbons, and it might be a good idea to ponder why.
Think Before You Pink is one organization which raises some serious questions about the history of the pink ribbon campaign, where the funds go, what actually gets supported, and whether or not it's all just a marketing gimmick designed to make people shell out big money while feeling warm fuzzies.
I've been reading messages on the Young Survivor's Coalition bulletin boards posted by women who've had their love for pink (if, indeed, they ever had it to begin with) utterly destroyed by its association with breast cancer. One woman even wrote to comment that seeing little girls dressed in pink is now very weird and creepy. Another wrote to say that her husband had black shirts made with "cancer sucks" printed on them in teal for her family.
Try to be sensitive, and don't assume that the pink bracelet or pink ribbon ribbon pins will be welcomed by those dealing with breast cancer. The pink campaign isn't really meant for us, you see. Survivors, especially those actively battling the disease, are already perfectly aware of breast cancer.
Aren't we all already aware that cancer is bad? Can we hope for action, instead of just awareness? Can we hope for prevention or a cure, instead of old hormonal medications (I'm talking about YOU, Tamoxifen) that cause other cancers, or highly toxic treatments that destroy healthy cells in addition to cancer cells? More on that later. Right now I've got pink chocolate candies to eat.
Labels: awareness, cure, pink ribbon, prevention, tamoxifen, Think Before You Pink, YSC
