The Assertive Cancer Patient

Daffodils for Debutaunt

Debutaunt is not doing very well. 

I had an IM conversation with one of her sisters about an hour ago, and got this news. I'll write more in a bit, but for now I just wanted to post some daffodils for Deb. 

I took these photos in my front yard, just this minute, and they are special daffodils that I planted last fall--so the first time that they've bloomed in my yard, and they are blooming for Deb. 

Jenna and Steph--if you see this, and if possible, could you show Deb these photos and tell her I took them for her? Thanks.

 @ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

Pink Ribbon Interview With Phoenix Fox TV

Between my latest round of scans and doctors appts. and then Jacqueline's visit to Seattle, I'm behind on posting to my blog. 

Here's the link to an interview I did with the Fox TV affiliate in Phoenix:

Is Buying Pink Making a Difference?

@ Jeanne Sather 2008. 

Lung Cancer M&Ms

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. 

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 a year.

@ Jeanne Sather 2008. 

We've Run Out of Colors

I was wondering what color the lung cancer awareness ribbon was--not that I'm a fan of these ribbons or of the circus of pink-ribbon-retail-therapy that Komen is responsible for, you understand--but I wanted to know. 

So I did a search, and it turns out that the lung cancer ribbon is "pearl." That's kind of a weird color for a ribbon, if you think about it. How often have you seen pearl-colored ribbons? Should they look like shell? Like mother of pearl buttons? Should they reflect the light with little rainbows? 

Will that make anyone feel better about having lung cancer? 

Of course, what I'm really wondering, now that October is over (thank god) and November--which IS LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, folks--is here, is where are all the:

Lung cancer awareness Chevron toy cars? 

Lung cancer awareness Tic Tacs?

Lung cancer awareness Campbell's chicken noodle and tomato soup? 

Lung cancer awareness Barbie doll? (She could wear a pearl ball gown and carry a jeweled cigarette holder ... Or maybe a Joe Camel doll?)

Lung cancer awareness foot exfoliator? 

Lung cancer awareness mixer? 

Lung cancer awareness M&Ms candies? (The color might be a challenge ...)

Pink versions of all of the above and more are on sale every October (see the links below if you don't believe me), and I, as a woman living with an incurable form of breast cancer, feel exploited by the sales of these products. 

But my point is this: If the companies that make these products were really marketing them out of the goodness of their hearts, they would also make lung cancer versions of all the same products so that we could raise awareness about lung cancer and some money for lung cancer causes as well. 

The companies DON'T do this because lung cancer is not a sympathetic cancer. Not one that they think it will do their companies good to be associated with. (That's a terribly convoluted sentence, but I'll let it stand.)

We still "blame the victim" when that victim has lung cancer. 

Never mind that most heavy smokers start when they are too young to know better, and then they can't quit.

See: 

Chevron toy car

Pink Soup?

Breast Cancer Barbie

Pink Foot Exfoliator

Pink M&Ms

I have photos of the pink Tic Tacs and the pink mixer, but haven't posted them to my blog yet. You can probably still find the Tic Tacs at the register of your local grocery, and the mixer is on sale at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $300. I'm boycotting BB&B for the next 10 years. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2008. 

Just When I Thought It Was Safe ...

Just when I thought it was safe to come out of my October bunker (all the pink-ribbon merchandise is dumped on the deep-discount tables at most retailers), this came in the mail, forwarded by a friend: 

10 Ways to Think Pink All Year Long

BAD IDEA. Thumbs down!

We don't need a higher level of breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer awareness is way too high for the threat this disease poses to most American women. How about lung cancer awareness? Lung cancer kills many more women (and men) than breast cancer does--but where is the Lung Cancer Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup? 

Or the Lung Cancer Tic Tacs? 

Or Lung Cancer Barbie? (Should she come with a jeweled cigarette holder?)

What color is the lung cancer ribbon, anyway?

Enough, already. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2008.  

Whew ... Made It to November, Barely

Sometimes, typically about halfway through October, I begin to wonder if I am going to survive the month, or if I'm going to drown in a sea of pink-ribbon ("can't you just shut up and see that we are trying to HELP you?") backlash. 

That's what happens when you put yourself out there. Not everyone plays by the same set of rules, especially on the Web, and I've gotten some pretty nasty e-mails during October. (I started working on a post called "Road Rage on the Information Superhighway," but haven't finished it yet. I may not. It's pretty depressing, and you can guess what my conclusions are.)

When I hit that slump, I swear that next year, if I'm alive, I'll be out of the country, somewhere like Japan where the commercialization of pink ribbons has yet to catch on, thank god. They do have races and walks, according to my Japan correspondent, who sent me photos of one of these, which I have yet to post--apologies for that. 

But then, every year, I think that THIS will be the year that the tide of pink will turn, and enough women will shout loudly enough that WE HATE PINK RIBBONS, and our friends and families will refuse to buy pink-ribbon merchandise, and the whole ugly, shop-till-you-drop, retail-therapy-to-cure-breast-cancer insanity will fade away. 

I did get some good press coverage this month, and did one interview with a TV station in Phoenix (FOX) that won't air until this Wednesday night, oddly enough.

See:

Thanks, LA Times

The Chicago Tribune: The Pinklash

And here are the winners of our "How LOW WIll Komen GO?" contest: The Winners

And this weekend, yet ANOTHER South Korean TV crew is coming to Seattle to interview me. I think this is the same TV station that sent a crew a few months back. The first guys said they'd send me a disk (disc?) with the program on it--so I could watch myself speaking fluent Korean (dubbed)--but I never received it, and I've been busy and haven't bugged them about it.

I've e-mailed the new contact, Joy is her name, to ask if they want to interview Jacqueline as well, since she will be here visiting me. That is going to be fun--more on my plans for "Fun With Jacqueline"  in a day or two.

Scan dance

Then, as if the anniversary of my mastectomy and the pinking of October weren't enough stress to deal with, I got some bad news this month. My cancer is progressing, after almost a year of holding it in check with Tykerb, and I need to change my treatment. I'm still in the midst of the doctors' appts. created by that news, and feeling majorly stressed about it.

I see my radiation oncologist tomorrow, and then Dr. Lee, my medical oncologist, on Friday. Should have a treatment plan when I walk out of Dr. Lee's clinic on Friday, which will be a relief.

Until then, I'm doing what I can to keep myself on track: playing with Connie, gardening, hanging with Car Guy ... I've started watching TV at Car Guy's place, and we were joking yesterday about my new addiction to TV. I haven't watched regularly for so many years that it's all new to me--and I talk back to the commercials, which Car Guy found disconcerting at first, until he realized what I was doing. He, of course, doesn't even hear them ... 

Sons

I haven't discussed the need to change my treatment with my sons yet. I'm waiting till I know what the new treatment will be, which is usually what I do when I have this kind of news to give them. (And yes, they could be reading my blog, but if they are, that's no big deal. My sons, amazingly, trust me.)

Having raised two young men to the ages of 24 and 18 mostly by myself, I couldn't ignore the news headline from Nebraska about teens being abandoned at hospitals. 

2 More Teens Abandoned ...

I think any parent who has raised a teenager will admit that there were times when we wanted to give our kids away. They go through a period where they hate us, and they don't mind letting us know just how awful--and clueless, and hopeless--we are, usually at the top of their lungs. 

I used to joke that I wanted to pack up Older Son in a box and mail him to China. And I was only half-joking. (Now, he has a job and has moved back home. He's paying rent and helping me with the housework. Wow.) And during one painful period when I was very sick and Younger Son had problems of his own, I wanted him to live with his father for six months. He refused, and it took a year from that time before he forgave me for trying to make him do something he really did not want to do. 

So I won't be throwing any stones at those parents in Nebraska who took their teens to a safe place and handed them over. Here in Washington state, we just kick them out of the house and they live on the streets--there are many, many homeless teens in Seattle. I see them all the time in the U District, near where I live. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2008. 

 

 

 

 

An Idea for Next October ...

A reader named Cathy, newly diagnosed with breast cancer, added a comment to my post announcing the winners of my second annual "How LOW Will Komen GO?" contest in which she gave me a great idea. 

Cathy wrote:

"I am SO glad I found this Web site. Although I was just diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer THIS MONTH, I am so sick of pink I could just gag. 

"I have informed my friends and family that MY particular colors will be purple and lime green, thank you very much. Will be back to visit often!!!"

Cathy--excellent idea! So, pink haters, next October, let's each choose our own personal colors and wear them with pride. I think I'm going to get--or make--the "M for Malignant" T-shirt as well. 

See: The Winners

How LOW Will Komen GO?: The Winners

Choosing the winners in our second annual competition to find the tackiest, most trivial, most offensive pink-ribbon products wasn't easy. As readers of this blog know only too well, during October we are overwhelmed by displays of tacky pink crap whenever we venture into most retail establishments. 

(Some notable exceptions here in Seattle: Whole Foods, Metropolitan Market, and PCC--thank you, all. At the top of the thumb's down list: Bed, Bath & Beyond, which had at least 30 pink-ribbon products.)

As always, The Assertive Cancer Patient suggests that you fight back by voting with your wallet. Don't shop at stores filled with pink-ribbon merchandise, and do patronize stores that refuse to be pink-washed. 

This year's contest was international, with entries from Australia and Hong Kong. See: Hong Kong

and Australia

Also, a note about the name of the contest: A reader wrote in to protest that sales of the pink handgun another reader entered in the contest (disturbing, that one) did NOT benefit Komen ... Point taken, but the contest is named for Komen regardless of whether or not all the entries raise $$$ for Komen because that nonprofit is responsible for the current pink-ribbon-cause-marketing-run-amok Festival of Crappy Pink Merchandise that we women with breast cancer have to endure every October. 

Until Komen takes responsibility for its actions, and polices itself better, the contest will continue to be named "How LOW Will Komen GO?" 

 

Grand prize: For the second year in a row, to Debutaunt for her entry "Jingle Jugs for Life." See: Jingle Jugs for Life

Note that Komen refused to apologize for taking $50,000 from Jingle Jugs last year, despite a backlash, and is still taking money this year, as far as I can tell. 

This product is tough to beat for all-around tackiness and offensiveness to women, with or without breasts. (I have one breast, myself.)

First prize: To Sarah, who sent in Cherrydale Farms' 1-cent fund-raiser 

Sarah writes that the candy bars are sold door-to-door for $1 by kids. Once you open the bar, there is a coupon for which--IF YOU SPEND 42 CENTS TO MAIL IT IN--the company will donate 1 cent to an unspecified breast cancer organization. 

Lame. Lame. Lame. The judges were underwhelmed by Cherrydale Farms' generosity. 

See: Sarah's Entry . 

Judge's Choice Award: To Peter, for "M for Malignant"

 

The women's volleyball and soccer teams at Evergreen State College wore pink shoe laces when they competed this month (which is almost worth an award in itself), and a guy named Jonathan sent out an announcement saying that he was selling pink T-shirts with a big green "M for Malignant" on the front that fans could wear to these games. 

I never managed to get my hands on a shirt, assuming that they existed, but Peter did send me the announcement: Peter's Entry

Congratulations, winners! Please contact me to claim your prizes. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2008. 

How LOW Will Komen GO?: Peter's Entry

My friend Peter, a student at Evergreen State College, forwarded the following announcement as his entry into the contest. 

I didn't post it earlier, because I was trying to get my hands on one of these shirts before the college athletic dept. shut him down. 

I THINK it's a spoof, and I would dearly love an "M for Malignant" T-shirt to wear during October, but was unable to get one. Note that the explanation of "malignant" in the flyer is not correct. --Jeanne

From: Minor, Jonathan [mailto:minjon03@evergreen.edu] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 1:00 PM
To: Tesc Community Announcements
Subject: [tesccrier] M for malignant

 

M for Malignant

 

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month the Women’s Volleyball team and Women’s Soccer team will be wearing pink shoe laces and ribbons in their games to show their support for those associated with breast cancer.

Students can now show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness and the Women's Volleyball teams and Women's Soccer Team by purchasing PinkShirts with Fancy Green M 's standing for Malignant.  This, of course, promotes the idea of BREAST CANCER AWARENESS. Malignant tumors are what can form within the breast if the risks and causes are not known beforehand.  Show your support today by reserving a shirt and supporting your teams and Breast cancer awareness month.  The sizes available are XS, S, M, L, XL.  The shirts are available in guys or girly t shirts.  The cost is just $15!

              

The games are on October 18^th here at The Evergreen State College.

Please come show your support for our teams and those involved in breast cancer by wearing anything pink to the games.

The Evergreen State College Athletics department has dubbed October 18^thas a day to “Think Pink!”

http://www.oncolink.org/types/article.cfm?c=3&s=5&ss=33&id=8320

Read about Breast Cancer for more AWARENESS then Buy a pink shirt to join the support. There is a limited number and there are less than 50 shirts remaining now.

J. S. Minor
jonathansminor@live.com 
 
The message content about the teams and pink was originally composed by Jeff Drinkwine. My 

How LOW Will Komen GO?: Amorette's Entry

I think this is Amorette's second entry, maybe her third ... Go, girl. 

She writes, "Someone, in a very cheap bid to win a pumpkin carving contest, has apparently decorated their pumpkin as a PINK BREAST CANCER M & M.

"If they were being facetious, that's hilarious.  Except something should be happening to the M&M...something bad.   Breast cancer, maybe.

"If they weren't...that's sad."

Given the pink ribbon in the pumpkin's hand, I think this is a serious entry. 

See also:  M&Ms: The Mosaic