The Sisterhood of Pink

wrsmith2x

I have read that many women that have had breast cancer do not like pink or anything associated with it. They think that the pink has grown into just another way to make money from the unfortunate pain of others. Maybe it is.
However, I find that pink makes me immediately understand that woman (or man, if he happens to wear pink) and feel empathy and sympathy for her plight. It makes me feel a kinship of sorts with her.....another woman who has been through the awfulness and has come out the other side....or is still struggling......or knows someone who is struggling and wants to do something, anything, to help. Helping could mean as little as wearing pink.
All I know is that when I see a women wearing pink....as I did yesterday....she had a pink shirt, pink shorts, and a pink hat on.....I see another person struggling. And I feel closer to her. And I can relate to her. And she feels like a part of me.
Pink can be good for something. If only to make us more aware.

JoanQuilts

It's interesting that you and I, both two time survivors, feel differently about this. 

After my first diagnosis in 1992 I was all pink, all RAH RAH RAH, let's walk, let's run, let's dedicate ourselves to the cure.  I participated in the Avon 2 Day as recently as this past October, 2011.  Then two months later, I was diagnosed with my second breast cancer, 19 years after the first. 

At this point I am so weary of breast cancer I just cannot even look at a pink ribbon anymore, feel cynical about fundraisers and walkathons, etc. etc.  19 years ago I never would have imagined that so many years later we'd still be fighting the battle with approximately the same number of deaths every year (about 40,000 in this country).

I can understand that newly diagnosed women feel the love and support around them when they see a sea of pink.  I felt that way the first time too.  Now?  I just feel betrayed and disappointed.

Joan

wrsmith2x

JoanQuilts, 

I do understand the way you feel also.  And the Rah Rah can be a bit much at times to me also.  But I do like the kinship I feel for and with other women who have been through the same thing. 

I hope you are better very soon.  I pray for a cure.  Best wishes to you, my sister.  Namaste'. 

joppamama

I found that when I was newly diagnosed and friends and family showered me with "pink" EVERYTHING I was touched and blessed by their kindness. The fact that I started chemo in October certainly helped me be showered pink as every trip to Target that friends made somehow resulted in me getting a little pinker. It was sweet and loving. But as treatment got tougher, and I had more time to lay in pain thinking about the 'pinkwashing' of products it really started to get to me. Was a pink bucket of chicken really helping this fight, or did it just make for pretty chicken?

Anyways, I wrote this post to share my inner thoughts about the topic and it felt so good to get the thoughts out of my chemo sick head! If you're interested feel free to check it out: http://myhonestwalk.blogspot.com/2012/02/breast-cancer-is-not-pretty-it-is-not.html

LuvRVing

Joppamama - I read your blog and I understand why you feel as you do.  I don't like the impression that fighting this disease is all about the boobs, that it's pretty, or that it's OK to make a pink dumpster or handgun and sell it to people who think they are supporting the "cause". 

I do accept pink as the color for breast cancer, though.  I accept the pink ribbon, just as there is red for heart awareness, and every color of the rainbow for one cause or another.  If not pink, then what?

http://www.craftsnscraps.com/jewelry/ribbons.html

I think Pinktober is way overdone and I am not crazy about seeing pink socks and armbands on football players.  On the other hand, you know darn well that some of their wives, mothers, aunts and cousins are fighting the same battles as ours, and the players are showing support.  It's all so well meaning that it's hard to be too critical.

It's the "big business" aspect that I hate.  It's the pimping of the "for the cure" by Komen or putting a pink ribbon on a product and making people think they are supporting us when in truth it's a move by that business to improve sales.  It's the lack of transparency about how much money that business will donate and where they will send those donations and how that money will be used by the organization that receives the money.

The problem isn't the ribbon or the color. 

I'm wearing my pink, my hand-crafted jewelry made by a good friend, and all the other "pink" things given to me in love and support.  I see pink as the color representing our sisterhood.

yellowdoglady

I too worry sometimes that the message is getting lost.  People are still dying because women's health research isn't funded at the same level as research into men's issues.  And some are dying because they don't have proper access to health care.  Some are even dying because the fear of being scarred or imperfect or rejected by their spouse or significant one delays their reaction time once they know or suspect they have an issue.

I donate, but I don't wear the pink because my status as a survivor is nobody's business unless I choose to share that with them.  Friends and family already know and (I would hope) don't think of me as a cancer victim but as they would any friend or family member who'd recovered from a serious illness or injury.