Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Breast Cancer "Awareness"=A Broken Record

If I see one more pink appliance or punny t-shirt slogan for Breast Cancer "Awareness" I'm going to scream. Let's be honest here...Breast Cancer "Awareness" (BCA) as it pertains to "Saving the Ta-Tas" or similar titillating (yep, I'm not above a punny), pink ribbons (and anything marketable in varying shades of pink), and cries to Walk/Run/Donate for the Cure are a broken record. Meaning nothing new or interesting is actually being done in the name of Breast Cancer Awareness. Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past 10+ years, you're aware that women have breasts and those breasts sometimes get try to kill them. Women are ordered to do self-checks, get mammograms, and basically practice pro-active self awareness as their breast health is concerned. The thing is that most breast cancers these days are very survivable. Part of that may be the inundation of "awareness" making women more pro-active in their breast health, but it is mostly that technology and medicine finally reaching a point to fight the beast that is cancer on a whole scale level.

In these days of "Me Too", it seems like we should be less focused on breasts and more focused on the whole person. Its apparently not as fun to support awareness for the other types of cancer--Childhood, Lung, Ovarian, Testicular, Melanoma, etc. However, many of these cancers have a much higher mortality rate than breast cancer ever did. These other forms of cancer don't provide the puns or evoke the images that sell t-shirts.

Of course, the whole "awareness" machine, in my not-so-humble opinion, doesn't really play into the rate of survival--instead it is primarily a financial boon for those in the 'industry' of providing that "awareness". For instance, when I first clicked a link to an article by the American Cancer Society titled "Breast Cancer: Info and Support" the page that loaded was wholly about gaining donations. There was no information, no support, just requests for money from ACS. By the time this posts, that link may very well open the page with actual information and support, but it may not. In my years as a survivor, I have found that so many organizations have their hands out to support Breast Cancer "Awareness" that it is impossible for them to all actually *do* anything to offer real support for breast cancer victims or even real research into breast cancer. Other breast cancer survivors have put together lists of things you can actually *do* to support those with breast cancer and to ensure that any funds you donate actually go to research and care.

As a breast cancer survivor of just over 9 years, I can tell you the support I received from the big name "Awareness" and even self-titled research organizations was zero. The support I received came from individuals stepping away from pink merchandise and giving me a hand--whether in funds, prayer, or physical help. Sure, some funding trickles into some out-of-sight research laboratory, but the majority of the funding for most of these organizations gets funneled through so many channels that the actual researcher needing funds to continue their research goes unaided and promising research may be abandoned due to lack of attention-grabbing headlines generating funding.

I've done bio-medical research. It isn't the glamour you see of pristine laboratories with multi-million dollar instruments on perfect workbenches while coiffed and made-up scientists walk about carrying clipboards right before shrieking "Eureka". Actual research is done in tiny steps in out-of-sight laboratories that often have outdated and sometimes cobbled-together equipment by frazzled and harried scientists that often go for extended periods without rest, food, or even verifiable results. There are just as many, if not more, failed experiments and research avenues that must be pursued. These hard-working scientists are the ones left out of the spotlight when Merck, Pfizer, or some other big-name produces a drug to treat cancer. These scientists have often left blood, sweat, and tears in their laboratories hoping, one day, to provide a small answer to the question of cancer. Often these scientists are even vilified by the public as 'hiding' cancer cures, being too obsessed with money to ever really cure cancer. The majority of scientists in the bio-medical field are truly in it to help people, even if it is just isolating and characterization of the bacteriophages found in raw sewage. <---that 13="" 2="" a="" after="" and="" attacked="" b="" bacteria="" bacterial="" bacteriaphages="" bacteriophages="" cause="" characterizing="" common="" definitely="" destroy="" did="" endocarditis.="" file="" found="" from="" get="" howard="" hughes="" i="" in="" institute="" into="" its="" let="" likely="" me="" medical="" most="" my="" nbsp="" not="" of="" project="" question="" raw="" report.="" research.="" research="" rich="" s="" scholar="" sewage.="" shortly="" summary="" tell="" that="" the="" turned="" undergraduate="" viruses="" was--isolating="" way="" what="" years="" you="">That
is the way research goes sometimes...
There are great research organizations out there and there are aspects of the leaders of the "Awareness" campaigns that are fruitful, but the sad fact is that Breast Cancer has been highjacked as a money-making sob-story to fill the coffers of both fly-by-night and legitimate support organizations. Simply by advertizing breasts as being in danger, these organizations are capitalizing on the age-old adage that "sex sells". Please don't buy it! 

4 comments:

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  2. Glory be the Name of the( LORD JESUS)
     My name is Clara Joel from UNITED STATE OF AMERICAN. I want to thank the Almighty GOD for using a herbalist man Dr ogedegbe to cure my lungs cancer with his herbal medicine. I have been sicking of Lungs cancer for the past three years,going for different kind of hospital to cure my Lungs cancer, I Always take treatment giving to me in the Hospital still yet no cure.Am a christian that always believe in God that one day He we surely hear my prayer.On a faithful day i was searching on the internet  how to get cure from lungs cancer, i got a testimony from  Vivian Damian telling everyone about Dr ogedegbe herbal medicine that cured her sister breast cancer and capable to cure any deadly diseases, i was scared because the doctor is from Nigeria, i contacted Vivian Damian about my problem that am facing for some years now she encourage me and tell me to contact Dr ogedegbe  that his a great herbalist that God has sent to her each and everyone of us.I have to give him a try, i contacted him and tell him my problem that am facing and he told me what to do which i did and also send him money for shipping the Herbs medicine to me true EMS delivery .i receive the herbs from the EMS office. i use it as Dr ogedegbe instructed me too. After some days of drinking the herbs medicine i feel changes in me the pain was no more,i went to hospital to see the result that the Doctor gave me, the  Doctor was surprise the Lungs cancer was no more am really happy now that the (LORD JESUS) has finally hear my prayer . i went back to Dr ogedegbe and info him about the miracle he has done in my Life i could never forget . My beloved brothers and sister if anyone of you or your relative is having problem that could not solve from the hospital please contact Dr ogedegbe and save a soul Via mail dr.ogedegbeherbalhome01@gmail.com or Whatsapp him †2348101572895 you can mail me if you need more information  clarajoel225@gmail.com

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  3. WHAT A GREAT MIRACLE THAT I HAVE EVER SEE IN MY LIFE. My names are Clara David I’m a citizen of USA, My younger sister was sicking of breast cancer and her name is Sandra David I and my family have taking her to all kind of hospital in USA still yet no good result. I decided to search for cancer cure so that was how I found a lady called Peter Lizzy. She was testifying  to the world about the goodness of a herbal man who has the roots and herbs to cure all kinds of disease and the herbal man's email was there. So I decided to contact the herbal man @herbalist_sakura for my younger sister's help to cure her breast cancer. I contacted him and told him my problem he told me that I should not worry that my sister cancer will be cure, he told me that there is a medicine that he is going to give me that I will cook it and give it to my sister to drink for one week, so I ask how can I receive the cure that I am in USA, he told me That I will pay for the delivery service. The courier service can transport it to me so he told me the amount I will pay, so my dad paid for the delivery fee. two days later I receive the cure from the courier service so I used it as the herbal man instructed me to, before the week complete my sister cancer was healed and it was like a dream to me not knowing that it was physical I and my family were very happy about the miracle of Doctor so my dad wanted to pay him 5 million us dollars the herbal man did not accept the offer from my dad, but I don't know why he didn't accept the offer, he only say that I should tell the world about him and his miracle he perform so am now here to tell the world about him if you or your relative is having any kind of disease that you can't get from the hospital please contact dr.sakuraspellalter@gmail.com or whats app him +2348110114739  you can follow him up on Instagram @herbalist_sakura for the cure, he will help you out with the problem. And if you need more information about the doctor you can mail me davidclara223@gmail.com 

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  4. WHAT A GREAT MIRACLE THAT I HAVE EVER SEE IN MY LIFE. My names are Clara David I’m a citizen of USA, My younger sister was sicking of breast cancer and her name is Sandra David I and my family have taking her to all kind of hospital in USA still yet no good result. I decided to search for cancer cure so that was how I found a lady called Peter Lizzy. She was testifying  to the world about the goodness of a herbal man who has the roots and herbs to cure all kinds of disease and the herbal man's email was there. So I decided to contact the herbal man @herbalist_dr_sakura for my younger sister's help to cure her breast cancer. I contacted him and told him my problem he told me that I should not worry that my sister cancer will be cure, he told me that there is a medicine that he is going to give me that I will cook it and give it to my sister to drink for one week, so I ask how can I receive the cure that I am in USA, he told me That I will pay for the delivery service. The courier service can transport it to me so he told me the amount I will pay, so my dad paid for the delivery fee. two days later I receive the cure from the courier service so I used it as the herbal man instructed me to, before the week complete my sister cancer was healed and it was like a dream to me not knowing that it was physical I and my family were very happy about the miracle of Doctor so my dad wanted to pay him 5 million us dollars the herbal man did not accept the offer from my dad, but I don't know why he didn't accept the offer, he only say that I should tell the world about him and his miracle he perform so am now here to tell the world about him if you or your relative is having any kind of disease that you can't get from the hospital please contact dr.sakuraspellalter@gmail.com or WhatsApp him +2348110114739  you can follow him up on Instagram @herbalist_dr_sakura visit his website     https://drsakurahealthclinic.wixsite.com/website https://sites.google.com/view/herbalistsakura                               https://drsakuraspellcentre.blogspot.com/                 https://drsakuraspellalter.wordpress.com/         for the cure, he will help you out with the problem. And if you need more information about the doctor you can mail me    davidclara223@gmail.com

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My Chemo-Jane hair-style

My Chemo-Jane hair-style
I just had to have my mom buzz my hair because it was falling out so badly.

Pre-op wearing my hand-crocheted cap with my prayer shawl.

Pre-op wearing my hand-crocheted cap with my prayer shawl.
My loving husband is watching me distract myself with a game on his iPhone.

2 days after my BMX w/ 100ccs in the TEs

2 days after my BMX w/ 100ccs in the TEs
I even have a fashionable belt to hold up my drains.

3 weeks post-op w/ 400ccs in each TE

3 weeks post-op w/ 400ccs in each TE
The smile is fake because the TEs were irritating!