Pink Month

[fillise]

I saw a piece on the Today Show this morning about "The Army of Women" to study the causes of breast cancer. I sent the following email to the organization this morning:

"A woman in the United States is far more likely to die of lung cancer than of breast cancer. While we have made great strides in the fight against breast cancer, it receives far more funding per death than does the most deadly cancer killer of women, lung cancer. Even as the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is decreasing the number of women, especially nonsmoking women, diagnosed with lung cancer is increasing. It’s not that I don’t want to continue research into breast cancer, but why can’t we also focus on the more dangerous menace to women—lung cancer?"

And so October begins. . .

Susan

[MsC1210]

I am so hesitant to even say this but I joined said Army Of Women as I fit the criteria to do so. I want to just say that I am NOT doing this to be a part of the PINK Army, I am doing it for the good of ALL cancer research. I also became a part of the ACS CPS3 study in hopes of being able to contribute something to the research that may lead to the cure.

The Army of Women is a unique opportunity to pair volunteers with researchers, to participate in research projects and trials in a quest to eradiacate breast cancer, and who knows, potentially unlock keys to finding the answers to curing other cancers as well. Cancer does not discriminate and therefore I don't either when I have an opportunity to join a project that COULD lead to a cure.

If there is ever a similar opportunity for me to participate in a targeted lung cancer study, rest assured I will be pounding on the door to sign up.

Just wanted to share my point of view....

Hugs

Chris

[RandyW]

Thanks Chris really appreciate that. Understand point of view bit I would be very surprised to see the same group get coverage next month for LC though thats what hurts my feelings the most!!!!!! Its only oct 1 and I am fixin to go postal if I hear one more thinkpink Susan G komen comment or news article!!

[MsC1210]

Sometimes it is really, really hard to deal with all the PINK. I just came from grocery shopping and they are even selling pink bird feeders!!! (Do birds really care??)

Anyway, I am NOT promoting the pink month on my web site, but as I did last year, I WILL be including a LARGE banner on the main page to support LC awareness month.

~Chris

[RandyW]

Humming birds care thats it I think!!! they look for red or pink for food!!!!!!

[MsC1210]

LMAO Randy, I have mine trained well... I make my own hummingbird food and it is CLEAR!!! Pink be damned says my birdies!!!!! LOL

[Kasey]

Yes, Susan....and so begins October. Here at home there is a pink firetruck apparently making the rounds across the country for men to support their women! Then I happened to channel surf by 2 shows today and that was enough. Martha Stewart was ALL pink as was the Ellen show. Ellen had a dunk tank and for every dunk (in the month of October) Microsoft will contribute $10,000 to go towarrd the Susan Komen fund. All I can do is sigh .

Kasey

[nonni]

You know what...I was really hesitant to reply to this post..It really ticks me off...It just seems to me it is sooo damn ridiculous all this hollaballo about 'pink'.....that's fine...I agree....but what hell is wrong with us LC survivor's....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

hugs everyone....nonni

[Wendy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah the pink gets makes me mad......

BUT I want to find out how the SGKF got off the ground and what type of marketing geniuses they have worked with for the past couple of years.

I would give anything to try to find out more about the organization, to use it as a model for lc or all cancers in general. I am a pretty quiet and shy type (ok Connie B and others may not agree but I think I will do a little digging if I can handle dealing with all of the pink.

I also hope that all the money that is being raised for breast cancer is truly being used for that and not all the $$ going to administration and waste. When I think about the $$ that they have from donations!

I do think that we are getting closer to a cure for all cancers. Breast cancer may get their first, but it will benefit us all, don't you think.

Hoping for a cure for all of us!

Wendy

[tiredmom959]

I was at my friends the other day and she pulled out her vacuum cleaner ... it was a PINK Dyson Model supporting bc reasearch!!! I took one look at it and then at her (she'd gotten my lack-of-lung-cancer-research speech already) and she says, "I bought it cause it was cheaper than the non-pink model, that's why"!

I've also seen Campbells PINK Chicken Noodle Soup!

[KaytieP]

"BUT I want to find out how the SGKF got off the ground and what type of marketing geniuses they have worked with for the past couple of years."

Susan G. Komen was founded by Susan's sister, Nancy Brinker. Nancy's husband is Norman Brinker, head of Brinker International, which is/was the parent company of Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Steak & Ale, etc. I also believe they were acquaintances of George HW Bush before he became vice president. In other words, she had millions of dollars and connections with people in the highest levels of business and government.

Also, breast cancer has a built-in advocacy group. Because of the work of organizations (mainly SGKF), breast cancer is seen as a women's issue. Not only non-affected women, but also men, are encouraged to "support women" "think of your wife and your daughter" etc. Because women are generally the primary shoppers in their families, companies are more than happy to contribute a few dollars if slapping a pink label on something increases the chances a women will buy it. Likewise, gay people are willing and eager to fight for AIDS research funding, regardless of their HIV status. There have been huge advances/huge funding in children's cancers, because people are natually sympathetic to that cause. As we all know, a disease where 70-85% of it's victims smoked is guaranteed to generate nearly no sympathy. There is a reason the American Cancer Society and American Lung Association are reticent to support lc beyond anti-smoking campaigns.

"Breast cancer may get their first, but it will benefit us all, don't you think."

Probably an oversimplification, but to be blunt, no. I wish I had my book with the stats in it (buried in a box in storage), but there have been comparisons between the 5 year survival rate fairly recently (2000ish) with the survival rate when Nixon declared the "war on cancer". Breast cancer survival rates are 30-40% higher. Lung cancer rates are maybe 4-6% higher (the lowest increase by far, if I remember correctly). Granted, this was before the widespread use of Tarceva and Avastin, but considering probably less than 5% of lc patients are long-term (>4 years) responders, they are not going to push the survival rate up a tremendous amount. That probably sounds more dire than a post on a lc support site should, but I think it is very dangerous (from an advocacy point of view) to even imply lung cancer benefits measurably from cancer funding in general, because that assumption has failed lc patients miserably.

[MsC1210]

Every year this subject comes up. Every year it seems there are more and more pink promotional lines out there. I don't think there is much anyone is going to be able to do to make PINK go away. It has truly taken on a life of its own. Kind of like Christmas.. The true meaning behind both of these issues has become lost in the commercialization. It is all about the almighty $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for the merchandisers and although the pink began as a worthy and admirable campaign, it has been lost with the complete saturation of the market.

Now.. nobody here will dispute that we have to do all that we can to promote and advocate for Lung Cancer, for earlier detection, for better treatments, for more funding. I take every single opportunity I get to talk about November and Lung Cancer Awareness Month. I tell anyone who will listen WHY I have my web site and WHY I devote my life, my time and my money to focusing on cancer awareness in general but with an added emphasis on Lung Cancer. I have lost my best friend and confidante, my step dad, and countless close friends and special people in my life that I have not even MENTIONED here on this site as it just became too damned hard to keep posting about another loss and another one and another, etc.

We all have the opportunity, NOW during Pink Month to get out there and scream it from the roof tops that there are many other types and forms of cancer besides breast cancer and EDUCATE THOSE WHO WILL LISTEN.

I apologize right here and now if this post upsets anyone but I felt it needed to be said. Put the energy into spreading the word about OUR cancer, OUR month and OUR needs instead of complaining about the pink... Make Pink work for us,

Hugs to all

Chrisitne

[Connie B]

Yep Chris your right, every year this subject does come up. However, in my humble opinion October seems to run 12 months out of the year. Pink goes on every month and all year long.........

I have mixed emotions about it. Yes, I have very dear and wonderful friends who are breast cancer survivors, and I have lost friends/family to breast cancer and that just breaks my heart. I have lost friends/family to lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, etc.etc., and for me it just pisses me off that they don't fight as hard for ALL the cancers in this world. I don't know who THEY ARE, but it sure doesn't appear fair to all the other cancers to have to take back seat all the time.

The Livestrong Foundation is the ONLY Foundation I have heard or seen over and over again talk loud and clear about the fight against Lung Cancer and that it IS the number ONE cancer killer. I never heard ACS do it EVER! All ACS does is talk about smoking cessation programs. HELLO we HAVE LUNG "CANCER".

Then I think to myself, Well.......we'll just have to ride with the breast cancer force and HOPE and PRAY other cancers might or will benefit from all the $$$$$$$ that goes towards breast cancer.

But again, have you SEEN all the beautiful Breast Cancer Clinics around the world??? Who the hell is paying for all those beautiful clinic's. And ALL the pink gifts they get in a Pink Bag after there first doctor's appointment with the Onc Doc. I've seen several Breast Cancer Clinic's and I had heard MANY MANY women talk about all the gifts they got from the Breast Cancer Clinic's! Hell all we lung cancer survivors get are dirty looks and smart *ss remarks about us having lung cancer.

There's NO DOUBT in my mind that a LOT of that money is being pissed away. This world has become so corrupt when it comes to the all mighty buck it just makes me sick. And I have a feeling we wouldn't want to know where all that money REALLY GOES!!

But, I do wish all the Breast Cancer Survivors long and healthy lives. And I think after ALL the money they have collected over the years, they SHOULD be A LOT CLOSER to a CURE then they are. But, what do I know???? I'm never against trying to find out how things are done or how to go about getting funding if it would benefit lung cancer. I know how it was done with SGKF. A bunch of wonderful women (moons back) sat on the doorstep of the Capital until they were heard, and low and behold they were and good for them. They put Breast Cancer on the Map.

It's just my -2 cents worth. You see I put a - (minus) sign before the 2??? LOL!

Hugs to All,

Connie

[fillise]

Wow. I don't begrudge the success of the SGKF, after all a woman is more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than with lung cancer. The good news for breast cancer is that she is far less likely to die from it. Breast cancer runs rampant in my family (mother, all her sisters except one, both grandmothers and my paternal aunt all had breast cancer, none died from it). I've always thought that breast cancer for me is not a matter of "if" but "when."

But here is what I know about lung cancer. Despite the fact that it is the # 1 killer for both men and women it gets very little research money. I can't help but think that if there were more research devoted to lung cancer it would positively affect the survival rates of ALL cancer victims. It is not an either or proposition.

A large part of the problem is the PR campaigns of the groups that are supposed to fight lung cancer. What is November known for--the Great American Smokeout--stopping smoking. While I am all for preventing as many cancers as we can, that piece of advice doesn't help much if you've already been diagnosed. We need effective treatments.

The other thing about all the pink products is that there is very little way to know how much of that money is really going to cancer research. Sometimes I think it is used as a marketing ploy with very little of the money going to fund research or patient support programs. That's despicable in its own right.

Susan

[SandraL]

It is very pink here in Canada as well. And yes it does bring up feelings of anger at the lack of support for LC. I agree with Katie though, all we can each do is our part in raising awareness and put some of that anger to good use.

Sandra

[MsC1210]

Sandra that was kind of what I was trying to say, too.

Let's use the negative emotions being dredged up, the jealousy, the anger, the resentment toward what was at one time a very valid and very successful awareness campaign and direct that into doing all that we can for lung cancer.

Christine

[RandyW]

Front Page of AT&T.net this morning. At least they got the right facts!!!!

Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths. Stay informed, stay healthy, and browse the links here to help a great cause.

[Donna G]

This morning they showed the White House lit up in pink and interviewed Mrs Bush about it.

Donna G

[lgreen]

hello all,

I say you are all to be admired for the extra time and energy you are putting into the cause! My brother in law died of Lung Cancer a few years ago.

He was not told the truth of it up front and assumed he had lots of "time" left. Then when we did research we found that it is a very aggressive type of cancer and he would be gone in 18 mos or so. That is pretty much how it turned out, we were able to give him some quality of life but; too little too late!

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