Posted on 10/03/2009 2:33:01 PM PDT by nickcarraway
This month, like every October, a sea of pink ribbons washes over products from sneakers to snacks. While the effort raises research dollars, it leaves some breast cancer survivors feeling that companies are profiting from their pain.
When KimZielinski was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 33, well-meaning friends inundated her with products bearing a little pink ribbon. Each products maker promised a cut of the sales price to a breast cancer charity, and these friends felt they were supporting the cause and, by association, Zielinski. A petite brunette whos now 35, she was enormously grateful for the millions of dollars that these pink-ribbon products direct each year to charities that fund breast cancer research and education.
But it wasnt long before she got a little sick of the pink. I felt kind of hateful, says the insurance company sales manager who lives in Charlestown. I was like, What makes you think I like pink now?
I think that the pink ribbon, as a symbol, tends to pretty up what is a pretty crappy disease. But a pink ribbon is easier to look at than the disease itself.
Many breast cancer survivors like Zielinski find themselves conflicted over this little powerful ribbon. Some survivors feel companies are exploiting breast cancer, marketing themselves as philanthropic outfits that care about women when what they mostly care about is the pink ribbons enormous ability to boost profits. Some just feel overwhelmed by the constant pink reminder, especially in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, of a disease that has forever altered their lives.
Since she was diagnosed 2½ years ago, Anna Schleelein, a 26-year-old attorney in Newton, spends Octobers in a self-imposed pop-culture blackout. She tries to avoid TV, magazines, and, especially, shopping, to steer clear of all those pink-ribbon products.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
one wonders if the mortality is higher because so many men aren’t going and being screened as they should? Who knows maybe it’s time to push blue to?
looking that the parts of the body effected you have to remember the lungs are essential, you need them to breath, no breath, no life, you can’t just cut both out. Looking at the breasts can both be removed and you can still breath, perhaps that accounts in part for the difference in survival rates. you don’t need boobs to survive you do need lungs.
I think the “help us help fight XYZ” stuff is a racket. My wife has MS, and we were at the zoo with the kids one weekend when they were having a “race for the run for the walk for the cure” to MS type thing. Everyone was beaming proudly and I just wanted to say “here’s my wife with MS - please make out your checks to her.”
I believe that February is heart month. Red is the color, kids do jump a thons and the push the little red dress.
Some Planned Parenthood clinics provide mammograms to women who can’t afford one. That’s probably what the money goes to.
How much of that money went to the cause?
Cancer Type | Estimated New Cases | Estimated Deaths |
Bladder | 70,980 | 14,330 |
Breast (Female - Male) | 192,370 - 1,910 | 40,170 - 440 |
Colon and Rectal (Combined) | 146,970 | 49,920 |
Endometrial | 42,160 | 7,780 |
Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer | 49,096 | 11,033 |
Leukemia (All) | 44,790 | 21,870 |
Lung (Including Bronchus) | 219,440 | 159,390 |
Melanoma | 68,720 | 8,650 |
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | 65,980 | 19,500 |
Pancreatic | 42,470 | 35,240 |
Prostate | 192,280 | 27,360 |
Skin (Nonmelanoma) | >1,000,000 | <1,000 |
Thyroid | 37,200 | 1,630 |
It's Father Day weekend. The effort is run by disgraced financier Michael Milken. MLB does a similar effort on Mother's Day weekend for breast cancer.
Where are all of the brown ribbons?
While I support several events raising $ for breast cancer research, I have always made it a point to avoid any product donning that horrible shade of pink. Perhaps if it were a prettier shade of pink, I might choose otherwise, but milk of magnesia is not my color.
Milk of Magnesia is white. You’re thinking of Pepto Bismol.
Reminds me of when then-Arkansas coach Houston Nutt made players who weren’t practicing hard enough wear pink jerseys.
Well, they complained that making players wear pink jerseys offended breast cancer victims.
So they had to change the color of the jerseys.
Are you waiting for a woman to design that campaign as well?
Surprised there isn’t more focus on pancreatic cancer. 82% death rate?
The Pirates really looked awful with the pink gloves, baseball caps and socks. And the refs armbands were OTT.
I don’t know how it is where you live, but here in CA the keypad at the counter asks you if you want to give to charity [right now it is muscular dystrophy].
If you indicate “no” on the pad, the cashier is supposed to ask you verbally if you want to give money to that charity. You have to respond verbally before they will allow you to pay for your purchases.
I find it irritating that one has to go through these steps to buy groceries!
me too. It totally pisses me off.
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