I'm always astonished at the variety of things you can buy in pink during the month of October. Breast cancer awareness month seems to have taken over the month known for its fall foliage. Rather than seeing colors of vibrant orange and red we instead see the color pink in everything from pots and pans, mops, ribbons on footballs jerseys, and even trash cans. The marketing campaign for breast cancer awareness is obviously a successful one. Kuddos to them! They have done an incredible job at overcoming their own stigma of folks not wanting to talk about breast cancer because it was considered taboo. At one point, it was the biggest cancer killer among women. They have since decreased that. Thanks to the millions ( I actually think it's BILLIONS at this point)of dollars spent on this campaign more women (and men) survive this disease than ever before. How amazing is that? The Susan G. Koman Foundation started as a grassroots organization. It was simple and they did what they could to get the word out. Over 25 years they have become the number #1 cancer non-profit and are considered one of the most successful grassroots organization EVER. That's inspiring!
The Susan G. Koman Foundation gives hope to other cancer non-profits that IT IS possible to to make a difference. The downside for many cancer non-profits though is that breast cancer has many things that we don't have or that we haven't quite figured out yet. The breast cancer marketing campaign (and yes it is marketing campaign) has become successful because they have created unity among women and FOR women. They have made "touching your TA-TAS" an acceptable term to talk about around the dinner the table. They have given women the OK to talk about their breasts and their bodies. They have given men a way to support the women they love. Breasts are the ultimate symbol of womanhood. Even if you don't know anyone with breast cancer, you more than likely support the cause. This is a huge bonus to the breast cancer campaign because they can unite people on several different levels. Other cancers struggle to get that same versatility.
What unites lung cancer? Unfortunately society unites smokers to the lung cancer and then stigmatizes them for "their choices" that cause the disease. We need to change that.
Lung cancer has now taken the the place of breast cancer as the #1 cancer killer among women. Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer in the United States and yet you rarely hear about it. Why? Because of a lack of federal funds. Because we lack a successful marketing campaign. Because we have a stigma to overcome. Because we lack unity.
Another downside for cancer non-profits is that the breast cancer campaign is SO successful that it creates the illusion that EVERYONE has breast cancer. I have spoken with local laboratories about donating money to just lung cancer research. Each one I spoke with has to explained to me that a person cannot allocate funds to a specific cancer, unless of course it's for breast cancer. "That's what people want" one woman told me. Is it? When everything is made in the color pink during the month of October its hard NOT to support the breast cancer campaign. So are people actually supporting the cause or do people just want pink products? I think its a little of both.
When sharing our ideas for NELCP we have actually had people say to us "I don't think the breast cancer campaign is going to let you do that." I am astonished that people seem to think that just because their marketing has established a pink product in every realm of our lives that we now have this illusion that they somehow control our lives too.
I don't want this blog to come across as if I do not support breast cancer. I do. I know several survivors of the disease and I find the breast cancer campaign to be inspiring. However, I think it's important for people to see through the hue of pink and understand that like all marketing campaigns; it creates an illusion that is often elaborated to sell a product and to make money.
Know the facts. Lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer. More women die of lung cancer than they do of breast cancer. Women of ALL AGES get lung cancer, even children. Smoking is not the only cause of lung cancer. In fact, in many cases it acts as a co-factor rather than a cause. Lung cancer lacks research. It lacks federal funding. It lacks awareness. It needs your support.
November is lung cancer awareness month. In the future I hope to see all of the pink products and the pink ribbons eventually fade to white.
