Take the Fright Out of Breast Cancer™

I think Tomboy's suggestion is a good one. Is anyone willing to come up with a better fundraising idea? I see a lot of complaining, not many constructive ideas.

Oh, and here is a campaign I was involved with for a charity. Using social media and the ability for everyday people to showcase their cause in a contest is a modern fresh way to spread attention and money to causes. : )


https://www.crowdrise.com/shopforacause

Lisey...I think you have hit on the "center" of the controversy.

Your latest posts have reverted to the "I'm doing so much good, how dare you complain that it offends you" stance.

There just seems to be no meeting place between your view, and the views of others who don't share your opinion.

I don't know what the resolution could be, but I just can't jump on the "let the rich people have their fun, and suck it up cause it's for your own good" train.

There's a huge gap between the two views...have fun/be respectful...

Just because you aren't offended, does that mean you can't respect the fact that others are? If someone finds humour in a joke about discrimination, does that mean that others are wrong to be offended?

You see it one way and others see it differently.

Let's get back to the point here. Is it ethical for BCO to use Halloween for a campaign to highlight fear of breast cancer?

Traveltext--ethical? Well, it's probably not UNethical for BCO to link their fund-raising to Halloween.

Is it smart, sensitive, wise, dignified, well thought-out? No.

Shetland - for me you said it all.

Traveltext - again for me, funding a campaign which profoundly hurts, not just offends, the members you are proposing to represent must at least bring up the question of ethics.

The message is wrong.

That really sums things up Beesie, thanks for your usual thoughtful analysis. It's really distressing that we're left hanging here to discuss this topic when there's almost unanimous agreement that the campaign was a serious misstep. Worse, it's so obvious management is stalling replying so that events can take place as planned.

Thanks, Beesie...you have eloquently written exactly what I think and feel about this entire issue. Not just this campaign, but the many others out there every year.

Moderators, I posted sometime back and after a while I followed some links in this thread. I don't know if those have changed, but there's no word that you've abandoned this diabolical campaign. I have a couple of things to say. I'm greatly saddened at the direction BCO is going in and the extended period it's taking for you to be done with this venture.

1/ My first and foremost concern is this: promoting scary stuff, bats and devils horns, is an ethical and spiritual issue. I want to address what that means to me here. BCO is going to the dark side. Anyone who is a dedicated bible believing Christian, (as I am) knows that supporting ghoulish devilish practices is offensive and strictly forbidden. HELLoween is exactly that as your demonic pictures depict. (If it looks like a devil it is a devil) You say you respect all beliefs. This is not the case. There's a difference between letting people choose those beliefs and BCO pushing a dark practise which focuses on death, on its members as a whole, and worse, for promotion. Even some, who haven't stated any religious affiliations, still acknowledge the gory inappropriateness of using helloween. All I'll add right now is that this devilish practice is NOT innocent fun as some ignorantly portray. It's garbage in garbage out and if any kid comes to my door and tries this "trick or treat" on me, they'll get the biblical gospel in return.

Finally, arguments are fruitless, but If anyone who calls themselves a REAL bible believing Christian wants to respectfully dispute what I've said - then PM me. I'll respond when I can.

2/ Now, fear. Certain aspects of death for me hold no fear BUT until I die, the fact is I'm here and the fact is it's not just about me, I have loved ones to consider and our love is mutual. What posters' here have expressed about their fears and BC and the absolute upheaval this diabolical disease brings, is justified. When you have faced even a few of the numerous ongoing issues BC presents you could not possibly carry on with this demeaning reprehensible scheme. When you place more importance on money and use us as a means to end to get it in such an offensive way, I don't know how you can sleep at night.

You cannot even count the numerous fears anyone of us will face, nor can you evaluate its cumulative effect or the intensity of it all. Even if there was a cure, you still live with the aftermath and consequences of tx for the rest of your life.

Please do the right thing and stop this now. Don't wait till the end of this month.

Lisey, just so you know. And anyone else who joins in to make light of others' suffering - people have every right to lay complaints when they see fit and NOT be labelled moaners. That difference has escaped you, going by your condescending tone as if we're all moaners and overthinking things. I don't appreciate that AT ALL. Let's see you trade places with someone worse off than yourself.

Edited to put the right code in for bold

Words fail me - but what conclusions and actions following those elaborate thinking processes have we to receive Mods?? 😊

This is not a medium boo boo - it's pretty bad as a campaign for BC.

POSTS FROM MODS: SEPTEMBER !5 TO OCTOBER 22

••• September 15
We thank you for your comments and feedback, and we truly appreciate how honest you've been with us.

We chose to name the campaign Take the Fright Out of Breast Cancer, because we know that a breast cancer experience is filled with fear. Breastcancer.org's mission is to provide the information and support that helps people reduce and manage those fears. We know we cannot eliminate them. So instead, we are trying to help people find the courage, information, and support to deal with those fears. For those who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer, we are trying to help them manage any fears or anxieties that might stand in the way of them getting the benefits of what early detection can offer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many people have different feelings about this time of year. Regardless of how we feel, this is an important fundraising and awareness opportunity, so that we can continue to be there for you.

This campaign is currently being supported by many, including men and women personally affected by breast cancer.

Although we may disagree on the approach, we hope that you recognize that we are all working toward the same goal.

••• September 16
PoseyGirl, thank you for your thoughtful and well articulated post. We are taking it to heart and discussing. Also, thank you for your offer to donate. It is very appreciated.

VLH, also really great suggestions. Thank you.

LilacBlue- thank you! And we hope you receive that grant!

BosumBlues, thank you for expressing that Breastcancer.org has been a lifeline for you. We understand that you too disagree about this campaign, but appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

Sara536, we do understand your objections, and are very, very sorry to hear that the radiologist misdiagnosed your cancer.

We sincerely appreciate all the time you are all putting in to helping us figure out different approaches, as well as your donations (of any amount)!

••• September 17
HoneyBadger, and others, have brought up some good, concrete suggestions.

We clearly hear that everyone here in the topic does not like this funding campaign.

Because this campaign is far along, and was tested on a number of community members prior to launch, it is unrealistic, and not possible to completely get rid of it. Yes, we are having an event, and yes, we need to fundraise. We have a very large project underway to redesign the site to make it better for us all.

That said, we'd like to hear constructive tweaks to the language, and are open to hearing your opinions on suggestions below. Please do try to help us here.

What do others think?

••• September 18
Badger, thank you for your donation! We sincerely appreciate it, and your feedback.

While we understand how critical research is, and are huge advocates of organizations like The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (https://www.bcrf.org), for example, we need funds to support the creation of our medically-reviewed content and peer-to-peer support forums, all programs designed to help guide and support you along your paths from diagnosis, through treatments and beyond.

marijen and Outfield, Breastcancer.org has started an ongoing project to redesign our entire site, step for step. Our goal is to bring together the community discussion forums and thousands of pages of medically-reviewed content into one seamless experience that helps you benefit from both the expert health content we create and the social support of your peers in the community. We are rebuilding our technology platform so we can offer each of you a more individual experience; helping to guide you wherever you are in your breast cancer experience.

Why are we rebuilding?

Our community discussion forums and our "main site" are very separate, and the flow between the two areas is awkward and under-utilized. Feedback from you has told us that we can do more to help you benefit from the content we create on our main site. We have also heard that those who rely on our content are not always aware that we have a vibrant online community for support. This needs to change. We know that accurate health information AND learning from peer experiences are necessary to making the best decisions for your care.

We also know we can make the overall user experience better and plan to start adding many of the features you've been requesting over time. The new Breastcancer.org will have a more up-to-date feel to it, making it easier for you to find what you need when you need it.

nihahi, We had posted an ask in the Announcements and in Moderator messages (see below) to ask for help. We sent all the materials to 13 members who had responded. As for "Baubles for Boobs", that was funding campaign started by a user and supporter of Breastcancer.org. We helped to advertise the campaign. It was not a Breastcancer.org named or led campaign.That said, we were very grateful to their efforts, and support.

(This was our post for feedback: Announcements: Breastcancer.org is launching a new fundraising and awareness campaign this fall and we would like your feedback. If you would like to participate, please PM us your email address! We will then email it to you this Friday. Thank you!)

••• September 18
Tara17, you are so correct that it is you, all of our members here, who have made this community what it is, through sharing your experiences, and tremendous support of one another. It is truly an amazing place that has helped a great number of people! We mods and the BCO team are here to make sure the platform remains updated and maintained, the technology works, our editorial content is medically accurate and up-to-date and to help guide our members to areas of our site that may be helpful. For some, the expert, and up-to-date content our editors and professional advisors create on our site is very helpful. For some, the discussion forums are where they find the most value. And many find get support in both. Therefore we will continue to grow both our expert-vetted content, and our support community, and work toward integrating these areas to allow for one seamless experience. This will be accomplished over the next years by updating and redesigning our platform, which is complex, time-consuming, and costly. For this we are raising funds.

We have not intentionally guilted anyone for not having donated. The fact is that few community members donate, and this we have shared, via private message to a few members who have commented here. Selecting if and where you donate is an extremely individual decision. For those who have chosen Breastcancer.org as their organization of choice to make a donation, we are greatly appreciative, and hope that you will continue to benefit from the information and support we provide.

This campaign is an organizational (BCO) fundraiser, not moderator-only driven. We are here to facilitate the conversation.

••• September 23
We've heard your concerns, and are making changes to address many of the points you've raised in this thread. Our intention has been to address fear as one of the many barriers that may keep people from getting the best care possible. We have changed our About page, and our flipper banners. The initial post in this thread is now the new language in the About section of the campaign. More changes will be coming in the next weeks. We will be inviting community members to join us for some live discussions on how we can make our efforts better in the future. We'll try to reach out to some of you individually but if you don't hear from us and are interested in talking to us, please let us know. Thank you as always for you honest feedback.

••• October 3
Apologies, we should have posted this earlier.

The concept of fear as one of the many barriers that may keep people from getting the best care possible is based on some of these sources:

BCO then lists sources.

Wildplaces, thanks for the suggestions. Bringing it back to the team!

••• October 8
We actually care very much. We will be reevaluating this campaign. You're opinions are extremely important to us. We never intended to have this much upset.

••• October 8
On another note, Wildplaces, you bring up many good ideas above. We do have a huge amount of content that covers many of you suggestions (www.breastcancer.org). Because our community is so separate from our editorial content, much of the is content is never seen. Also, our editorial content area is indeed so full, that it is difficult to find what you need without our Search box. We are working to make it easier to find what you need (improve the navigation). Also, we keep a running list of topics to cover, so appreciate everyone's suggestions.

••• October 11
Yes, we are listening, as is our entire org. You have clearly stated your points, and we have heard. We understand what you are saying, and how you feel.

••• October 18
So much here to continue to process - and we're doing it! And as always, we thank you for your honest, heart-felt feedback. Like we mentioned last week, we are indeed reevaluating this campaign, with all of your concerns.

Thank you.

••• October 22
Thank you ALL for your feedback. Our diverse team with many "survivors" are sincerely listening.

Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'm now getting excited about BCoween. Who cares about the kids. Thanks BCO.

And I gave pink breast cancer nary a thought all day

marijen, I was referring to not thinking of the BCO stupid pink October "take the fright out" Halloween campaign.