If you've been following my blog you'll see that I've
changed my profile pic to the poster produced by the fabulous ladies at Flat
Friends: an online group of UK based ladies who have decided against
reconstruction after breast cancer took one or both breasts. I'm proud to be on there with such a lovely
looking lot of ladies.
Hopefully campaigns such as these will help women (and
men...let's not forget that they get breast cancer too) to remember to check
themselves in Pinktober and beyond and thus save some lives and some breasts
too. There is, however, quite a bit of
grumpiness about Pinktober on the cancer blogosphere. Survivors worry that all that pink fluffiness
trivialises breast cancer or, even worse, makes it seem like a 'good'
cancer. There's a lovely quote I found
somewhere (sorry, can't remember the source) that 'breast cancer is about vomit
and finger nails dropping off. It isn't
pink and pretty.'
That's certainly true.
And some campaigns, like the M&S 'show your strap' campaign, are
rather insensitive given that many of us don't have breasts to put in a pretty
bra any more. They have missed a trick,
I think, by failing to provide more post-surgery and mastectomy lingerie
options in the range that they are advertising alongside the campaign. On the other hand, what a good job it's done
on getting the message out there about breast cancer!
I'm looking for a job at the moment and one position I considered
was working with a charity that raises awareness of CMV. Do you know what CMV is? No, nor did I. You will probably be as shocked as I was to learn
that it is one of the main causes of children being born with permanent
disability, more common than Down's syndrome, Spina Bifida or Cystic
Fibrosis. Simple improvements in hygiene
like regular hand washing can prevent CMV and yet most pregnant women never
have heard of it. Think how happy that
charity would be to land a campaign like the M&S 'show your strap'
campaign. So I think we survivors of breast
cancer should not be too quick to criticise well meaning awareness campaigns
even if they are sometimes rather pink and fluffy. Let's just get the message out.
And while we're about it, let's be a little sensitive about
the message we get out there. Let's face
it: we've been through a lot. Vomit,
finger nails falling off, scars and all the rest. We might not want to sugar coat it, to let
the world think it's 'just' breast cancer, but on the other hand spare a
thought for the women flicking through magazines as they wait to see the doctor
about the suspect results of their first mammogram. Let's not terrify them. Yes, breast cancer takes lives, it takes
breasts and it takes months of horrible treatments. But most of us do get through it, often
stronger than we were before, and focusing on the negatives is a worse than making
a first-time pregnant woman listen to endless horrific birth stories.
That's why I love this Flat Friends poster. Look at us!
We've all lost one or both of our breasts and we're not hiding that
tough reality. And yet, aren't we beautiful and smiley?
Pinktober can be a difficult time for those of us affected
by breast cancer. By all means, let's
make sure that the glossy world of celebrities doesn't water down the
message. But let's not go to the other
extreme either.
Most of all, let's remember that all that really matters is
getting the life saving message out there - whether you agree with Pinktober
and the silly campaigns that run at this time of year or not, at least it's all
publicity. I wonder how many more women have
finally booked in that mammo as a result of all the buzz on social media? So pass it on: nag your friends to check
their breasts! And while you're at it,
tell your pregnant friends to wash their hands regularly.
