Comments on Suburban Sweetheart: Breast Cancer Awareness: Why I Don't Walk for Colo...

I never thought of it this way either - thank you ...

2009-05-04T09:32:00.000-04:00

I never thought of it this way either - thank you so much for sharing your opinion!

Thank you for putting into words what has complete...

2009-05-04T08:43:00.000-04:00

Thank you for putting into words what has completely pissed me off for years. It is ALL about the marketing and I just cannot stand watching people buy pink things from Bed Bath and Beyond only to say "well...I supported Breast Cancer Research this way". A very, very small percentage of that money actually goes to the Susan G. Komen foundation, or whatever. A lot of the money that goes into that particular foundation goes into paying overhead costs. It's made me so angry, thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one.

Hence -- the Relay for Life, which doesn't discrim...

2009-05-03T10:39:00.000-04:00

Hence -- the Relay for Life, which doesn't discriminate and is a nice way to remember those we've loved and the ones who are still fighting all types of cancer. And you're absolutely right about the marketing -- what is spent on it and manufacturing pink products should be sent to fund research.

lu

I honestly never thought of it like that. Thanks f...

2009-05-03T09:39:00.000-04:00

I honestly never thought of it like that. Thanks for sharing, Kate.

An interesting point of view...I'm glad you shared...

2009-05-02T17:22:00.000-04:00

An interesting point of view...I'm glad you shared it.

I don't remember whose blog led me to yours, but I...

2009-05-02T15:05:00.000-04:00

I don't remember whose blog led me to yours, but I'm going to comment for the first time today, because you totally struck a nerve. I'm getting my Ph.D. in oncology as a cancer researcher, studying pediatric oncology. Talk about a completely UNDERFUNDED branch of cancer. Money is raised for cancer because famous people have said cancer, so every time a famous musician/actress/politican, etc., has breast cancer, tons of publicity goes towards the disease. But pediatric cancer? Most 5 year olds aren't famous enough to generate any sort of publicity, so NOBODY donates money to pediatric cancers, and yet a young child has the MOST to live for because he or she has an entire life still left!
Personally, I don't get the walks, either. It's great to want to do something, but then write a donation check to the National Cancer Society, and volunteer to help cancer patients who are too sick to go grocery shopping. Read to children while they are receiving their chemotherapy infusions. And, totally ironic, the stupid Avon walk BLOCKED ME OUT OF MY OWN RESEARCH LAB TODAY because it is one of the mile walks. So as I was trying to get INTO the lab to work towards a CURE for cancer, there were all these people camped out since it was one of the designated wait-and-cheer locations, and I couldn't get through to get into my building. WTF?

(But, just to make you feel a little better, from a research standpoint, lung cancer is actually the best funded form of cancer research, even if there are not lung cancer walks or ribbons. Those tobacco settlements REALLY paid off as far as paying to look for cures for lung cancer, and lung cancer alone.)