Lung Cancer M&Ms

This post is a rerun from 2007.

November is lung cancer awareness month (also pancreatic cancer, I believe), but there are no displays of merchandise in the lung cancer ribbon color (pearl) at supermarkets and drug stores. 

And remember, lung cancer kills more American women than breast cancer does, so where's the lung cancer awareness dolls, T-shirts, key chains, and so on? Lung cancer awareness Campbell's soup?

After reading yesterday's post, We've Run Out of Colors, Amorette created lung cancer awareness M&Ms and sent me a jpeg. 

It's also possible to order M&Ms in pretty much any color you want, so if you want to "celebrate" November with pearl-colored M&Ms (as Komen celebrates October with pink M&Ms), you will probably have to order your own. I don't see Mars/M&Ms coming out with this product any time soon. 

For personalized M&Ms, with text, logo, or colors, see: M&Ms

I may order some lung cancer M&Ms, although I've been boycotting the company because of the pink breast cancer M&Ms, and haven't bought a bag of M&Ms for at least two years.

Here's the mosaic I made with pink M&Ms: M&Ms and Cancer: The Mosaic  Oh, and here's my entry in the "How LOW Will Komen GO?" contest two years ago: Muffin Boob

@ Jeanne Sather 2008. 

Comments

[Jo]

I am probably in the dark about this, but why were you boycotting m&m's last year?

[Kala]

My mother had Breast Cancer in 2001 and died of Breast Cancer of the lung in 2008. I need a pink and pearl ribbon. I guess I will have to make my own.

I also hate the way lung cancer is portrayed as the sufferer's fault. The generation most affected by lung cancer today started smoking at very young ages and there was no knowledge of a threat. It was even said back then that smoking had little do with lung cancer. We have all been told how addicting cigarettes are, how can we still throw all the blame on the smoker?

[carrie s]

Oh. My. God. Pearl? I see it as Ash.
You can't make this stuff up. Oh, wait. Amorette can.
Around here suddenly there are many many hot pink beribboned license plates. I saw one SVTATAS. Now, I know her heart's in the right place; it's for her sister or her mother or her best friend or herself. But Eww. I just hate all those cutesie words.

[Amorette]

Is it just me or does this pattern of ribbon colors strike anyone else as a tad offensive?

I mean, I can roll my eyes at the gray ribbons that periodically show up in regard to my own primary cancer (brain and spinal cord cancers = gray ribbon= gray matter, get it? HAR DEE HAR HAR). But some of the others...

A brown ribbon for colon/colorectal cancer? Cute.

I dislike the pearl/phlegm connection for the lung cancer ribbons. I'm surprised they haven't appropriated a blue-purple ribbon to raise choking awareness.

And the ribbons have become so multipurpose now that their very symbolism is completely muddled. For a list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awareness_ribbon

[Michelle Mercurio]

I so badly want to recommend your blog to my friends who have fallen into The Cult of the Pink Ribbon...but they just wouldn't get it. They firmly believe that they are better people for buying the cough drops or cupcakes with the ribbon on the label and insist that closing down main thoroughfares for their 3-day walks is directly benefiting patients. Cause marketing is extremely offensive but unfortunately effective...at misleading people and increasing profits. Thank you for sounding the call, exposing the sham and keeping your focus on the real issue.