Hi,
I don't want to appear bitter, but I'm sick of pink. Anyone else out there feeling like a step-child? I heard more about breast cancer awareness and "the fight for the cure" on October 1st than I heard for ovarian cancer in all of September. I didn't see anything on my local TV or in the newspaper. They even held the breast cancer "race for the cure" in September. Let's face it...who DOESN'T know about the symptoms of breast cancer? Who DOESN'T know the importance of a mammogram and early detection and treatment? You'd have to live under a rock. Yet, almost no one I talk to has a clue about ovariasn cancer. The always say, "Didn't you go for your yearly PAP test?" What do you mean it came back? Why didn't you have your ovaries removed?" I never had a clue until I got it. What do we have do to be heard?? Any ideas how to get some publicity for ovarian cancer? We need to do something to promote awareness about it. If we had the backing breast cancer has, maybe they would have come up with a definitive diagnostic test by now!! What do you think?
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Sick of Pink
- By Kristardh
- Posted October 18, 2009 at 10:15 am · 47 replies
- In Awareness and fundraising events
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Cancer Surgery Leukemia Eating disorders Melanoma Breast cancer Ovarian cancer Cytoxan Lupus Memory
47 replies
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- By Plonanon
- Posted October 18, 2009 at 11:33 am
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I think some of us were thinking of going underground for breast cancer awareness month so we didn't have to puke over the pink.
I read an article recently in the NY Times about how women with breast cancer fall between the cracks in terms of which doctors handle their cases. The authors of the article mentioned that gynecologic cancers have gynecologic oncologists, as if that makes us so much better off. I wanted to write a nasty letter, but I figured there was no point.
Maybe if there were a real screening test for ovarian cancer and/or they made some progress in improving survival rates it would get more publicity. As it is, perhaps no one wants to associate with a disease with less-than-stellar survival statistics.
- By Cheryl4Teal
- Posted October 18, 2009 at 12:38 pm
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Kristardh, I got to say I dont blame you. I was watchnig my local news last week in NJ , it was a local staion in NY we get. Well they really went off on this one womans story and how she had recuurent breast cancer , 2 young kids ETC. While I felt sorry for her, she kept going on and on about " how we need to bring more awareness to breast cancer" . I couldnt beleive she said that. Breast cancer gets too too much coverage in my opinion. I can tell you I too felt like going under a rock, I went to my cancer institute on Oct 1 ( that was my treatment day couldnt avoid it) and there they were tables, ballons ready to accost me about it.
We were lucky in the towns, I go to the Cancer Institute of NJ. And the towns of New Brunswick, Edison, andmore had teal ribbons put up for OC.
Its a start. I even wrote my local paper and she put my story in, but it pretty much fell flat.
It hurts in my town to see them do walks for people with Breast Cancer or other cancers but no one remembers us.
Its a sad irony though.
- By catealpower
- Posted October 18, 2009 at 5:53 pm
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Kristrdh I feel the same way. I was shopping at the Vons market and they ask if i would like to contribute to breast cancer research. I pulled off my cap to show her my head and explained I have Ovarian Cancer and I didn't see them asking last month for contributions. She said they only do it for Prostate and Breast Cancer. I was really pissed.
- By lifeisgrand
- Posted October 18, 2009 at 5:59 pm
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I'm looking forward to November :) The PR blitz is just over the top. Everything you read is happy endings. But the sad truth is breast cancer is still taking 40,000 women a year. That is nearly twice the number of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer. Just yesterday one of friends buried her girlfriend who didn't win the battle. This only 3 years after having a prophalactic mastectomy. There are no guarantees for them either even though the pink ribbon campaign is raking in tons of attention (and money). Luckily annual mammography is catching 80% of them early. Could be us one day so hopefully by getting the recommended screening we'd at least be one of the lucky ones for a change.
- By Sunny01
- Posted October 18, 2009 at 10:54 pm
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At my County Fair in September the American Cancer Society had a booth with pink ribbon cut-outs that you could sign your name to and then they hung them up. We visit the fair several times while it is going on. After the first visit when I saw this, we (my husband, daughter and I) returned and told the volunteers we would contribute but only if it went to Ovarian and Prostate (my husband has this cancer) Cancer awareness, took our ribbons and colored over them with a teal colored crayon and wrote "ovarian" on the body of the ribbon, and hung them up!! When I am at the grocery store and purchase something "pink". I save my receipt and mail it to the company asking them to donate whatever proceeds they would have sent to Susan Komen for my purchasing the product, to send it to ovarian cancer research. I've never heard back from anyone, but it makes me feel like I'm doing my part to make companies aware.
- By StillBattling
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 7:55 am
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I boycot pink. At the grocery store one time, They bagged my groceries in paper sacks with pink ribbons on em. I made em rebag everything and put it in plastic bags. If there is a product out there supporting pink, I test a new product.
I feel for women with breast cancer its not there fault there fundraisers are so greedy.
- By momanderson920
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 8:23 am
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I have a feeling that other cancers, not just ours are getting alittle sick of the monopoloyization of fundraising and awareness being directed at breast cancer. The retailers are doing it to make money since women are the primary shoppers and they think it boosts sales. I read an article about that premise. I think it high time that they had other cancers or a general category for National Institute of Cancer Research sponsored. Perhaps that is the route to go in complaining. I am sure they would say our cancer is not as prevalent.
- By bohan54
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 8:59 am
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I'm glad advances have been made in breast cancer research as my youngest sister is now a victim of that beast. She sometimes feels guilt over the fact that she will very likely recover and I have gone downhill basically since the day of my OVCA dx. It's human nature to jump on a bandwagon that affects more people and can be more readily identified. That said, it still irks me at times to be innundated with PINK!
- By Nanamom
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 10:10 am
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I, too, am sick of pink. I was in a Walgreen's yesterday and all their prescriptions are now coming with pink caps for breast cancer awareness. I'm sorry about anyone getting cancer but I agree with others - there's at least a way to detect breast cancer early. I do go to a pharmacy other than Walgreen's but if I did go there I would refuse the pink caps on the chemo meds that I'm picking up again this week. I would think the pink caps could upset more than those of us with different cancers. One of my children has lupus and takes daily meds - how often do we hear about lupus? Sunny01, I love what you do and Momanderson, I think you are right about marketing. Janet
- By Plonanon
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 11:39 am
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There was an article in the NY TImes around a year or two ago about the amount of money spent on research for different kinds of cancers. In the reader comments, many people with cancers other than breast cancer expressed their disgust at the money and attention that breast cancer gets. So it's not just us.
- By momanderson920
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 1:44 pm
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We could go on a letter writing campaign and threaten to boycott or just go ahead and boycott any company that is donating and doing all this pink stuff. It is getting to be ridiculous and there are many many other cancers like ours out there besides breast and with worse prognoses.
- By Angel1955
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 6:18 pm
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This "pink" subject has been going on since at least early September. I went to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure event in Portland, Oregon in September. I am a bit irked that they have their big race in "our" month! September is after all, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month...October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
I wore my Sheri Hildreth Ovarian Cancer (SHOC) Empowerment Walk 2007 teal shirt to the breast cancer event. I was respectful, wearing a light gray hoodie with pink stripes down the arms.
I handed out a flyer on ovarian cancer symptoms and treatments to all the booths and individuals that would take them. I actually got the announcer to read one over the loudspeaker to the crowd (45,000+) that was the highlight of my day!
I was amazed at how many people did not know a thing about ovarian cancer, and did not know September was actually Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month! Some people were downright rude to me, but I have a thick skin, so I didn't let it bother me.
When October 1st came along, the stores and media inundated us with pink! Maybe I am just noticing it more after all the controversy, but it sure seems like there is much more "pink" out there this year!
I have taken all the "pink" ads from the coupons and Sunday paper and started contacting each company that supports breast cancer, and ask them to do the same next year for ovarian cancer, reminding them that September is ovarian cancer month.
I think the world now knows just about everything about breast cancer, it is time for people to learn about ovarian and other cancers as well.
Stay strong!
Angel
- By kathym
- Posted October 19, 2009 at 11:29 pm
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I am glad to find out that I am not the only one to have had enough pink. I want a cure for breast can er but ovarain is one tough disease and has no testing system. I liked the idea of contacting the companies for a me too request. Would it be possible to have the Korman walk changed to Oct? Is there a Gilda Radner Foundation that could help get more attention? I know about Gilda's House but i don't know anything more about that group? who coordinates this kind of stuff?
- By jethro
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 1:56 am
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Yeah Nanamom...I was the recipient of the fricking pink cap on my Cytoxan chemo drug I picked up this week at Walgreens. If I had known (it was in a stapled bag) when at the store I would of raised a stink. Instead, my daughter took the matter into her own hands and promptly took out our teal fingernail polish and painted the pink ribbon teal!
Got a good laugh.
- By ErinH
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 7:21 am
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I'm sorry, but I take offense at your post.
OvCa is only diagnosed at a curable stage (prior to stages III and IV) in 20% of all cases, whereas 60% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at early stages and are completely curable. And if OvCa is not diagnosed until the latter stages (which accounts for at least 80% of cases), women have a 70% - 95% risk of recurrence within 5 years. Only 46% of women diagnosed with OvCa are still alive after 5 years. A whopping 80% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer are still alive after 5 years. OvCa claims the lives of 85% of women diagnosed at late stages.
Breast cancer was the first type of solid-tumor cancer to be treated with molecular-targeting therapeutic approach, when the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) was approved in 1998. In recent years, new imaging methods including digital mammography and ultrasound as well as improved magnetic resonance imaging have been introduced for breast cancer diagnosis and women are now offered annual MRI breast screening, due to the phenomenal amount of money that is poured into breast cancer research at an astounding rate EACH YEAR.
However, growths on the ovaries usually have no symptoms until they have spread to other organs and the upper abdomen. Cancer Research UK states that "at the moment, there is no screening test reliable enough to use for ovarian cancer in the general population." CA125 blood tests are notoriously unreliable tumour-markers for OvCa (during 22 months of an agressive metastatic Stage IV OvCa throughout my lymphatic system my CA125 never rose above normal) and doctors rarely diagnose OvCa without an internal ultrasound, which is NOT offered anually to women. The only real diagnosis for OvCa is traumatic, invasive laparotomy.
There are currently 15 different drug-treatments for breast cancer, and only 8 for Ovarian Cancer. It is more than a DECADE since medics have found any new treatments for OvCa - because so few treatments are available for OvCa, it's estimated that 53 - 58% of women diagnosed with OvCa are dead within three years of diagnosis.
In the past two years, only 30% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer died, whereas from '06 - '07, 65% of women diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer died.
There are around 204, 000 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed EACH YEAR, with only 193, 000 cases of breast cancer estimated to occur this year.
50% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are 61 years of age or older, whereas 80% of women diagnosed with OvCa are only in their 40s or 50s. I had untreatable stage IV at age 22. 15% of OvCa diagnoses are in women aged 25 - 44 years.
From 2001 - 2004 breast cancer incidence declined at a rate of over 8% per year. Since 2004, incidence rates of breast cancer have decreased at at rate of 3.4% each year, whereas Ovarian Cancer rates fall at a rate of less than 1% per year.
$8.1 BILLION is spent in the USA EACH YEAR on the treatment of breast cancer. $2.2 billion is spent each year in the USA on the treatment of ovarian cancer.
I have said my piece.
- By ErinH
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 7:24 am
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By the way - my post was addressed to lifeisgrand
- By lifeisgrand
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 8:57 am
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You're preaching to the choir here sweetheart. I know exactly how poor the odds are for my survival. All I am saying is that I too have breasts and could very well one day be those shoes too. That's if I am one of the lucky ones to make it long enough. Being angry at them only takes energy away from your own healing.
- By macasna
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 10:48 am
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I am glad to hear that others are disgusted by the attention breast cancer gets over ovarian cancer. In one of my local grocery stores in Rockford IL on September 29, they already had the pink bags and every store employee wearing pink.
My friend just lost a good friend to breast cancer that she only lived 1 1/2 years after being diagnosed. I am very saddened by this disease, but I think all cancers should have awareness of their symptoms.
I was diagnosed 14 years ago with Stage Ic ovarian cancer and my tumor ruptured, which I feel saved my life. I had every single symptom of ovarian cancer at the time, I did not know I was walking around for about six months with this diease. I too wish there was a way to get this disease out to the public.
I wrote to Oprah and Ellen last year about this, but never heard back. I wonder if it would do any good for a number of us to do the same this year.
- By MiDolcheVida
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 11:35 am
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Amen! While I understand and do believe in bringing cancer awareness to the public, the PINK campaign is taken, I believe, all the spot light. I sit and listen to all the media attention, races, special events and PSA's, and I say STOP, it's not just breast cancer, what about this silent disease that no one talks about that is taking womens lives, and were fighting the hard fight!
Last month, I walked the "Race for Her" in my city. While we had supporters - no where near the race or support, or even media attention for the PINK campaign, it was a bit sad to see that the media only gave the race a 15 second plug.
I guess we woman need to organize more of the "Teal" campaign, raise money - lots of it, in order to compete with the PINK campaign.
Yes, it IS very frustrating that no one really talks about the 'Silent' disease. Heck, I didn't even know we woman could get fallapion tube cancer.
Go TEAL and HEAL! Now, that's my plug :o)
- By ChiMom
- Posted October 20, 2009 at 11:47 am
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This issue is not a new one and has been addressed in other posts several times. Since my post of "Why does this make me Angry" I have becom aware of a few new things. Anyone can jump on the bandwagon of wearing pink, promoting pink, etc. but that does not necessarily mean funds are being sent to support breast cancer research. Also, the pink sells because the public in general is under the assumption, as I was, that a portion of the proceeds go to breast cancer and it gives them a feeling of doing something good. I do not begrudge any of the money that goes to breast cancer research, as God forbid, I or someone close to me could be diagnosed with this dreadful disease. I do think, we as ovarian cancer victims, need to be more proactive and less reactive in getting our message out. It is a slow process but we are making strides. I am sure every other cancer victim (other than breast cancer) feels the same way. Cancer is cancer and more awareness needs to be directed towards the signs and symptoms of all cancers and more money needs to be funneled to the research and cures of all cancers. The ACS needs to treat all cancers the same and not just signal out a few. They are doing a poor job in my book. My immediate mission is to get the awareness out about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer so that more woman will be diagnosed and treated earlier. I cannot believe how many woman have no clue what ovarian cancer is or how it is diagnosed. So many are under the false assumption that a clean pap smear means they have no cancer. This is my mission. My second mission it to get more money donated to the diagnosis and treatment of All cancers through research and public awareness, something our ACS should be doing.
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