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This story is being published on a special day for me: the one year anniversary of being diagnosed with one of the leukemias and plunged into the world of blood cancer treatment. It’s been an eye-opening journey, including learning that ten times as many adults as children are diagnosed with leukemia each year.
The first thing I learned is that new advances in cancer treatment – led by my rare form of leukemia – are changing the “war” and enabling people to live full lives with conditions that used to be fatal. Known as "targeted cancer therapy," these advances focus on molecular changes specific to cancer, can be more effective than other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, are less harmful to normal cells and are less harmful overall for patients. This is great news, full of hope for millions of people. (For details see http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/targeted)
Another key learning is that cancer is colorblind. I’ve been blessed by the support of a wide circle of old and new friends active in cancer advocacy; people who freely share resources for the benefit of others. Cancer is a group of more than 100 diseases, and those of us with any one of these diseases have a lot of the same fears, concerns, needs and real world issues that come with this diagnosis.
Today more people are living with cancer than are dying from it. In the U.S. alone there are some 11 million survivors and there will be about 20 million people living with a history of cancer by 2020. Many will have more than one form of cancer. Many will have been diagnosed as children, had successful treatment and have lived most of their lives with cancer issues. All have special needs and all deserve support.
I decided to write this because it’s September, a time when many cancer survivors are cringing as “pink” retailers and fund raisers start their warm-up for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. These aggressive efforts are often tied to commercial brands and product sales that have nothing to do with cancer support. Sometimes they are even attached to products known to cause cancer. Others are sincere, dedicated individuals and organizations who are deeply committed to helping others. What the collective September pink wave does, however, is drown out the efforts of people with other cancers and those who support them.
September is not a warm up month to use to convince people that their charitable dollars should go to just one cause. It’s a month in which advocates for several different types of cancer work on behalf of real human beings: the women and men affected by cancer.
I am, by the way, a breast cancer survivor and support legitimate organizations and also advocate strongly for women with breast cancer. My objection is to commercial efforts that take away from the need to support all forms of cancer and that have changed the dialogue to the glamorization of what is a horrendous, life-changing disease.
Retail and sports-themed promotions take away from the need for closer examinations of real issues while providing healthy people a false sense of helping others. Healthy people need to be with us in asking the tough questions of organizations, government and politicians. How do we get more focus on transparency and accountability for cancer fund-raising and tax dollar expenditures? What is actually being done to advance cancer treatment from the patient’s perspective? What is being done to actually make food and our environment safer? What can be done to provide more resources that go directly to patients and help them deal with the enormous and growing financial costs of this disease? And a whole lot more.
One small way that I advocate for all cancers is in the choices I make in jewelry that I design and produce as a hobby. My choices for “ribbon” jewelry are almost always limited to pink enamel or sterling silver. I choose the silver ribbons in honor of the recipient and everyone in that woman’s circle of support, and because it will last throughout her lifetime. It’s a small ripple in the wave of support we need, but you have to start somewhere.
September's Cancer Awareness Programs
Childhood Cancer Month
http://www.curesearch.org/support_curesearch/raise_awareness/index.aspx?id=3742
Leukemia Lymphoma and Myeloma Awareness Month
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/
National Ovarian Cancer Month
http://www.ovariancancer.org/
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month
http://www.thegcf.org/
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
http://www.pcf.org/
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