Pink: Not just for Pepto Bismol anymore

KAK

Karen, I suppose it would be too much to rustle up a pink wheelchair...

  Kathi

otter

I'll get us started with this one:

Sorry it isn't still in the nice package with the pink ribbons. This really was a pink-for-BC product, with some reasonable amount of the purchase price going to Komen. I bought it on impulse because I like good pens and, well, maybe I'm not as sensitized to pink as I was a year ago.

otter

crazy4carrots

Bettysgirl, I think you're on to something:  blue power tools, blue golf clubs, blue hockey sticks!  Yeah, like we'll ever see that....).

Like otter, I'm feeling less sensitive to pink this year, but I take real exception to companies which use bc/pink as nothing more than a marketing tool to sell their products.  Companies that sponsor events, provide dollars for bc research  or the support of bc patients are good corporate citizens IMO.  I feel as though the others are feeding off our collective misfortune.

Linda

otter

Just a few items I picked up at Walgreen's this afternoon, when I stopped by for my seasonal flu shot...

First, a pink-for-BC Sharpie marking pen and a cute little BC ribbon pin. The pen actually writes in bright pink, which I thought might come in handy.

Next, a CD containing inspirational songs. And to think I assumed we were the only ones who thought of this!

And, a package of special, dark chocolate Dove candies wrapped in pink foil. Note that the inner wrapper of each piece contains "an inspirational message from a survivor." These chocolates really are exquisitely smooth and rich.

Among the things I saw at Walgreen's but did not buy:

White crew socks embroidered with pink BC ribbons, carrying a tag that identified them as ... (wait for it...): "Breast Cancer Awareness Socks"

Pink Highlighters, with a label that said, "Highlight the Fight".  Who thinks of this stuff?:

 A Beanie Baby, covered with pink-for-BC ribbons. According to the tag, its name is "Awareness":

This is going to be a long month....

otter (sitting here munching on Dove chocolates)

Sable

I may have to get the dove chocolates yummers

GramE

Adding to my favorites so I can follow along as BC month gets nearer.  Last year I made stickers to paste on displays and products promoting BC awareness:

Breast Cancer is a disease, NOT a marketing opportunity.  

And a couple of times a display of pink products was accidentally knocked over - like the pink Tic Tac display that seemed to attract my shopping cart...    

Have a few chocolates for me:  I am allergic  :-( 

EWB

Lefty, you sneaky girl...I love the attraction your cart has for the pink..I'm going to have to find a cart like that

rock

This makes me happy. Thanks for reviving this thread, folks!

otter

BTW, the "Strength" CD I bought at Walgreen's is not very good.  So, don't bother.  The one my May 2008 chemo sisters put together is much, much better. (Thanks again, Jean!).

otter 

KAK

Hi, Rock!  Hi, Otter!  I've got to get to the stores with my camera...

A little bit of shameless self promotion --  just wrote a blog post about Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Here's my drawing for it, which one of our tribe members has already suggested I make into a tee-shirt with the blog post title "It's Not A Month.  It's Our Lives"

lisa-e

Kathy, pretty funny drawing!  I'd buy the tee shirt.

Rose_wood

I love this thread!  ok, I'm from the Philly area and the two sport teams are selling T-shirts for $20 with the city skyline and either a Philly or an Eagle logo with, of course, pink ribbon.   All proceeds going to BCRF.  They wanted to show their support or whatever.  It is their idea of community involvement.  Of course, there are girls with pink pompoms in the background while this commercial is airing.  Also was at CVS and they have the Snuggie in pink with $50,000 going to BCRF.  Retails for $14.99, same as the other colors.  Not sure if I would buy this for Pink Month or not.  With my luck, they have already reached the $50,000 mark.

Rose_wood

I love this thread!  ok, I'm from the Philly area and the two sport teams are selling T-shirts for $20 with the city skyline and either a Philly or an Eagle logo with, of course, pink ribbon.   All proceeds going to BCRF.  They wanted to show their support or whatever.  It is their idea of community involvement.  Of course, there are girls with pink pompoms in the background while this commercial is airing.  Also was at CVS and they have the Snuggie in pink with $50,000 going to BCRF.  Retails for $14.99, same as the other colors.  Not sure if I would buy this for Pink Month or not.  With my luck, they have already reached the $50,000 mark.

lexislove

This thread is great..just what I need!!! Thanks otter for pointing it out to me

otter

Well, tomorrow night (Oct. 1), they're gonna shine pink lights on 3 of the buildings on the college campus near where I live.  The lights will be turned on every night, all month.  And at the "illumination ceremony" tomorrow, they will be introducing some local "breast cancer survivors."

I, on the other hand, will be conveniently out of town. 

Not that I don't understand the sentiment and appreciate the motives, but, I'm waiting for them to shine sky-blue lights on all the engineering buildings on campus during "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month."

Oh-oh. It's too late.  Did y'all know that September has been designated "National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month"? President Obama made the official proclamation on August 31, 2009.  Didn't know that?  Neither did I, nor did most of the news media outlets or any of the marketing departments of big-name companies, apparently.  Anybody see anything painted sky blue, or any displays of sky-blue power tools, or stuff in the grocery store marked with a sky-blue ribbon last month?  Nope, me neither.  Here are some representative links:

http://www.usrf.org/prostate.html

http://www.pcaawareness.net/

http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/ 

I could go on, but I think that's enough.

OTOH, I did watch a BC awareness program on TV the other night. It was done as a public service by the local NBC affiliate.  They did a nice job with the BC part of it. My only complaint was with one of the commercials they kept showing.  A local hospital was a major sponsor of the awareness program, but they (the advertisers) and the TV station were frightfully unaware how inappropriate that commercial was.

Did the commercial highlight the hospital's comprehensive oncology service, or perhaps their wonderful breast cancer patient support program?  Nope.  The focus of that hospital's commercial was their maternity and childbirth service and their top-notch neonatal intensive care unit. I'll bet they showed that same commercial 4 times during the 30-minute show.

HUH???  Did no one have a clue about the sensitive nature of that content to women being treated for BC?  The loss of breasts, loss of libido, loss of ovaries, loss of fertility, loss of that last picogram of estrogen we might have been making... all are such important issues to women after a BC diagnosis.  How could they not know that?

<sigh>

otter 

lvtwoqlt

Our local hospital had signs about September being National Prostrate cancer awarness month and sponsored a prostrate screening day offering free screenings to men over 50.

I saw the pink snuggie at Walmart, but won't get it.

My church is having 'Pink Sunday' this Sunday, I helped initiate it. So I will be making pink ribbons to hand out Sunday morning. I do however have the largest team I have had for the Komen Race October 17th, with 18 people signed up.

Sheila

KAK

September also happened to be Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.  Kind of an appropriate pairing.

BTW, Otter, that's why I wrote my blog post, because I have yet to see an interview with a BC-er that really talks about what we go through.

Don't even get me started.  I'm working on a few more posts about all this...

kdeit

Sheila,

Congratulations on your team - this is the second year that I've led an American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team and have more members this year, too.  I want to share the pink items for which our team is selling chance drawing tickets, (because the quilt really is awesome) but I can't figure out how to insert a picture - I'm sure it's easy, but I'm just not getting it.  HELP?

Hugs,

Karen

Anonymous

It's Pinktober!  My newspaper is pink. Not just the front page, the whole thing!

Advertisers who donate money to Fox Chase Cancer Center can also have a pink ribbon in their ad announcing the donation.

EWB

Hey PatMom- are you in NJ?

Anonymous

I'm from NJ, but I currently live in PA, just over the border.

Rose_wood

went to ask.com earlier and it's pink ribbons everywhere!  It's definitely Pinktober.

GramE

Can you believe this one:

http://www.polaroid.com/bcrf.php?utm_campaign=gacontent&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google 

rock

Otter.

I want to steal parts of your post  -- would you mind if i made you a "guest blogger" on mine (re: prostate cancer)? it's too good not to be shared...xoxoxoxoxxoxoxo

kdeit

My Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Team - Friends in Pink Helping Friends are selling chance drawing tickets for this handmade quilt and also for the handmade tote bag, which is stuffed with pink things.

Here's a picture - I'm on the left and a team member (who lost a kidney to cancer) is on the right:

$1.00 each or 6 for $5.00.  All donations go to The American Cancer Society.  If you are interested, email me.

Hugs,

Karen

kdeit

How do I get the photo itself to show up?  Not just the link?  HELP, please??

PatMom just helped me and it's there now!!  Thanks so much!

Hugs,

Karen

kdeit

PatMom,

Thank you so MUCH for your help in getting the actual photo to appear!!  WOO HOO!!

Hugs,

Karen

otter

rock, you may have whatever you think might be useful.  I love your blog,  You may assign me whatever role you need played.

Okay...  Here goes tonight's play in one act:

My dh and I are visiting a dear, close relative of mine, who shall go un-named.  Tonight we turned on the tube (is it still a tube?) to watch Sunday Night Football.  Lo and behold -- some of the football players were wearing pink shoes and/or pink gloves. The announcer explained that it was for "breast cancer awareness."  "This is such a great thing they're doing!," one of the announcers proclaimed. "Breast cancer is such a curable disease, if it's detected early enough.  So, ladies, get those mammograms!"

Sheesh.  I muttered something about there being too danged much pink lately, and putting it on the feet of NFL football players was going too far.  I added that it irks me when they do things like that, because all that pink really isn't helping breast cancer patients.  Then I closed with the statement that most people who give money to a "pink" cause or buy things from pink-ribbon displayes have no clue where their money is going.  No clue.

I should have known better. 

Dear, close relative said, "What do you mean, 'It doesn't do any good'???  They're doing it to promote awareness!"

I responded, "Awareness?  I'm plenty aware of breast cancer already.  So, no one else would be aware of breast cancer if it wasn't for a few football players wearing pink shoes tonight?" 

Dear, close relative was starting to look irritated. 

My wonderful dh added, "I think if you poll women who've had breast cancer, most of them would say they really don't like all the pink stuff." (He is as disgusted as I am with all the pink-ribbon marketing.)

Idiot that I am, I can't resist adding, "After all, what difference does it make, if a few football players wear pink shoes?  How much money does it raise?  Really, how does it help?"

Dear, close relative responds tersely, "Well, maybe it doesn't raise any money, but it is important.  It shows everyone that they [the football players] care!"

I stupidly reply, "What good does it do if the football players 'care'???

Dear, close relative says, "Well, it probably does the football players some good. Maybe it makes them feel good.  It makes them feel like they're doing something."

So that's it.  That's what it's all about.  And that's what we've suspected, all along, right?  I finally knew enough to shut up.

otter

KAK

Oh gawd, otter.....how many of us have had to endure that exact same conversation?  Frequently, I don't even bother.  Just makes me cross.  That's why I blog.  I am very glad to have these first two weeks of October off from work, because I swear if one more of my colleagues, who really should know better seeing as how they're mostly nurses, asked me if I were taking part in one more pink event that they've happened to hear of, especially knowing I suffer from cancer related fatigue....well, I'm not too tired to slap somebody.

Karen, that quilt looks just beautiful!   I like events where survivors help survivors.

ktym

Saw the piink on the NFL players.  DH and I talked about it.  I can't figure out for myself my very conflicted emotions over this pink awareness month.  I liked the pink NFL. Bunch of tough football players willing to put that bright pink on that clashed with their uniforms and run around on national TV?  Made me feel better. Yet just stood there not knowing what to say when women at work said they wanted to do something for BC awareness month, should we pass out pink pens or something.  Just wanted to run and hide, had no clue what to tell them and was very uncomfortable, felt like I had just realized I was standing in front of everyone and had forgotten to put my pants on.  I mumbled something about being willing to contribute and did run away. I can't figure out for myself what pink things or awareness talk will make me feel better or bother me so I guess I can't expect anyone else to. I do know when I finally joined facebook and realized that my DS had put a BC awareness link on his FB page I was so touched I wanted to cry.  Maybe when I get further out and have recuperated from treatment etc. I'll be less of a mess. 

I get very defensive when every single person who is walking in a BC fundraiser doesn't ASK if I want to do it or donate, they act like of course I'm going to be walking or will want to donate to their walk.  That really does tick me off.  Ask me, darn it.  I feel like I lost so much control over my life already, I don't need someone adding one more thing to the list.