If I were dressing up for Halloween, I think I might dress
up like a pink ribbon. After all, what’s scarier than the toxins lurking
underneath many of the pink ribbons in the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign?
Seriously. There are carcinogens in so many of the products boasting awareness
ribbons.
“Here, buy this
product and we’ll donate a dollar to research for a cure… What?... Oh that? It’s
nothing to be concerned about… A carcinogen? Nah. There’s such a trace amount.
It really won’t hurt you. Besides, what we’re focusing on is a cure, not
prevention!”
Like I said, what could be scarier?
Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t believe in
trying to find a cure. But these companies seem to be going about it backwards.
They’re on a sort of hamster wheel. Cause cancer, cure cancer. Cause cancer,
cure cancer. Round and round they go, and while they’re chasing their tails,
40,000 women in the United States alone are dying each year. Perhaps, had they
spent some of that money changing their formulas for their products so they
didn’t include carcinogens, we could see some significant drops in those tragic
statistics.
And the statement "The best protection is early detection" slogan makes me want to puke. No, folks, the best protection is prevention. Period.
I purposely won’t buy any products, if I can help it, that
are part of the Pink Ribbon Campaign. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. My
own sister had breast cancer a few years ago. My husband’s first wife is
battling the disease right now. And my daughter’s mother-in-law lost her battle
to cancer just a few short months ago, right after her 51st
birthday.
Fortunately, there is an organization that has the same philosophy as I
have. They view October as Breast Cancer
Prevention Month. Notice the difference… Prevention, not Awareness.
Awareness is bizarre, when you think about it. Who isn’t already aware? We don’t
need to spend money raising awareness. We need to learn about Prevention.
The Breast Cancer Fund is all about prevention. They believe
that each of us has the power to do more:
“With personal action
we can reduce our own risk, and with collective action we can bring about
policies that put the health of people and the planet above politics and
profit.”
That’s what it’s all about, folks!
Please visit the Breast Cancer Fund website and Facebook page and learn why
they believe “prevention is power.” Move beyond the pink ribbons!
The government is not going to protect you. The corporations
are not going to protect you. The pharmaceutical companies are not going to
protect you. The only person who has the power to protect you is YOU!!!
Learn how.
Skipping the pink ribbons altogether, and wishing the best
for all of you,
Hana
Huh, I've never thought of it like that before. I will definitely check out the Breast Cancer Fund. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristen. It's a good organization.
DeleteGreat read and I will definitely be checking out the Breast Cancer Fund. My mother in law is battling breast cancer right now and yet still microwaves in plastic containers and eats pesticide laden produce. I think that prevention is something that really needs to be looked into more.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mallory. I'm so sorry about your MIL. I had a friend who had breast cancer, yet continued to smoke, saying it had nothing to do with it. Until a year later when she was given 6 weeks to live because it metastasized into her lungs. People don't want to hear that what they're doing/have done could be the reason for their cancer.
DeleteI haven't considered THIS angle, but personally, I'd rather donate to someone's walk/run/spaghetti feed that I either know locally or would just like to support with my FULL funds than to give a company 99.9% of the profit and have such a small amount go to who knows what? The campaign money for large organizations? Print ads? I like to see ACTUAL people benefit. :) Thanks for reminding folks to research decisions!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thanks for reminding us of another option.
Delete