Sorry BCC, I really do think you do an absolutely wonderful job and it is great that you inspire so many to hold events during October to encourage donations to such a worthwhile charity. For my own selfish reasons, Pink October means that I am constantly bombarded with the subject of Breast Cancer - every newspaper/magazine I read at the moment seems to have at least two or three pages dedicated to BC, every shop I go into seems to have an array of pink items at the checkout, I switch on the television and there it is again AAARRRGGGGHHHH !!! I am coming towards the end of my radiotherapy treatment after what can only be described as a awful year of treatment - chemo, surgery and now rads. I really cannot wait to get 2008 over and done with and try to get on with my life and try to put the subject of breast cancer to the back of my mind. I really want to not have to think about BC every day, but it is as though the media will not allow this to happen. Even my daughter’s school are having a Pink October day. I have to collect my daughter in my cap with only a smattering of hair which is only now starting to grow after chemo and really don’t want to have to face all the other mothers all smiley, happy and more importantly HEALTHY !!! Sorry for the rant BCC, I know we have to increase awareness which will then in turn increase donations to try to find a cure for this horrible, horrible disease. Maybe I am just a bit angry with the world at the moment. Best wishes to all, Jacqui xx
Amen to that Jacqui.
I saw a lovely Macmillan ad on TV the other night. It’s really good but it’s too close to home and made me cry as I’m still a bit emotional post chemo and it really does feel like a fight to be happy right now. But fight on I will because the sun is out and the TV is staying OFF (fortunately I don’t read magazine or newspapers and if necessary I know how to remap my computer to kill ad banners too 
how about some humerous movies my fellow baldy, that’s my plan until Nov.
Long ago before the Pink October C**P started and “fund raising” was the word, there was a young girl who used to get so much comfort from raising funds and wearing her pink ribbon. Now nearly 23 years to the day that she lost her Mother to BC, the pink ribbons are locked in a box and she now has breast cancer.
Bad Day, Tamoxifen or both!
There’s several pink threads in current issues…great to see so many people this year who are fed up with it. Also an article in Guardian yesterday by Libby Brooks about pinkwashing (mind you I disagreed with some of it too!)
I have written a couple of essays on Pink October which you can access on my website. pm for details or guess: its www plus my user name then co.uk
Pink stinks! (not my slogan…its a US one.)
Jane
Just been noseying on these threads and seen your website Jane. Have read and appreciated all that you have said. Wanted to write comments but didnt have the words to do so. I dont know how my bc is going to end or how long my life will be. What is so sure is that we are born, we live, we die, all go full circle, some circles just have a bigger circumference and take a bit longer to get round. Shout loud, even by the written word, many will read them and thank you for them.
thankyou,
Chris xx
Hello ladies, I think I have just seen the worst pink october merchandise ever today. ‘boob shaped biscuits and cakes’ being sold in a well known charity shop and worse still a raffle to win a cake in the shape of a women’s neck and 2 boobs on it! Yuk yuk yuk. I felt very uncomfortable about this but sadly did not say anything which I should have done. I am currently at the same stage as you Jacqui as regards treatment. Bc is never pink and fluffy.
Rach xx
rachy7: that wins as far as totally ****ing tactless goes. Just read Janes blog and was maybe going to say that I don’t think the emphasis is totally on breasts over cancer but actually it does seem to be. Roll on Nov.
Hi All,
All this Pink October stuff reminds me of a really cheap and tacky hen party - to all those people who have never been diagnosed with this disease it must all seem as though its a bit of a party, just a small glitch in the lives for all those going through the horrible treatments to try to beat this disease - never mind, we will soon be getting out the pink party hats, pink balloons etc at the end of our treatment NOT !!!
Far from it, life might move on for all the people who take a few minutes out of their normal day to think about BC when bombarded with all the pink items at the checkout in Tescos. but for the rest of the women/men who are actually diagnosed with BC every year, life will never be the same again !!!. It seems that the media like to talk about all the women who have had a primary diagnosis and then call them cancer survivors once their treatment has finished - well, we are NOT cancer survivors and we will never know if are fully cured of this disease as the medical profession haven’t yet managed to develop a test to determine whether or not someone has been cured of this disease or not. I am currently being treated for a primary diagnosis, but all the ladies who have mets are never far from my thoughts as I know it is a club I might join one day.
JaneRA - just wanted to say that I have followed your blog religiously and even posted a couple of replies - you have my full respect - you are a wonderful, wonderful person and as I said on my post, I would really love for you to write a book about your experience - it would be a true account of BC for future generations to read - maybe in years to come they might even think how barbaric the treatment was for BC in the early noughties, Best wishes to you all, Jacqui xx
I have worked for ASDA for 18 years and as you all know they are into the Tickled Pink C ampaign I have done sponsored walks,been in a bath of pink blancmange etc.Little did I know that it would affect me,it happens to others,so last October,week before my wedding it struck home,yes it was my turn !!!
So October for me is my wedding anniversary,and I have bought the grey jogging suit and white t-shirt,my contribution as well as more to hopefully save others
Take Care
Mary
xxxx
I am not fed up of pink october…it raises awareness so!!! Even if they did not have pink october once you have been dx with IT, it is hard to think of anything else,so what difference does october make??? At least people raise more funds in this month due to the pink theme…As soon as I am fit enough I will be helping promote pink october,for women like myself,who would not be here now if research was not ongoing…
Hi eveyone
I agree with Debbi if it wasn’t for raising awwareness and fund raising in pink october and any other time of the year, then maybe I wouldn’t be having the treatment that I am to get over this horrible disease.
Val
we do not choose what month we are diagnosed at,so such is life.I happen to work for a company which has promoted our campaign for years on end,
there is a similar thread to this on current issues too,and I just had to comment on that too,Valda you confirmed exactly what I am getting at,the cost of one persons treatment alone,no matter what it is,is expensive and as the government dont fund everything,this has to be raised by other means.And like I just said,it doesnt matter what time of year it is,or if there is something sticking it under your nose,once you have had it,it is hard not to think of anything else,even when there is ned,we will always think about bc…unfortunately,and this research is ongoing so that our grandchildrens children do not have to go through the same thing as many of us.and anything that is going to help my children and theirs not go through this,I am all for it…
The sad reality of life is that the vast majority of Joe Public couldnt give a toss about cancer/poverty/war etc unless they have been personally affected. Humans on the whole are a selfish bunch who are very reluctant to part with their cash unless there is something in it for them. So to try and raise money and awareness for any condition must be a nightmare for those involved. However, the successful campaigns such as Live Aid, Live 8 etc had to do something exciting/sexy etc to get anyone’s attention and more importantly, their money. Pink October is nothing more than another such attempt at money raising and I am very grateful for those who have spent their time raising money for research and raising the profile of the disease as I have no doubt that without them, research etc would not have been possible. However, I can see how it can infuriate those directly involved when the campaign goes over the top such as the “Boob Cake” and those horrible Royal Daulton figurines which really makes what started off as a good idea into commercial tackiness.
This year I decided to do something for once so I targeted all the black and asian women in my organisation and sent out details about the generations study which is trying to recruit 100,000 women to do a longitudinal study to find out the causes of breast cancer. I don’t know how many of them will sign up as you have to fill in a questionnaire and get blood samples, but I hope so, as black women although less likely to get breast cancer generally have a worse prognosis.
I was really pleased with the interest shown and I’ve got about 15 women so far.
The generations study is sponsored by Breakthrough Breast cancer
Mole
Great Mole…
Jane
I don’t mean to offend anyone - of course raising awareness, collecting donations and contributing money to research can only ever be a GOOD thing - I am not disputing that by any means. I would dearly love for the world to find a cure for cancer. My wish is that my daughter never has to go through such a devastating experience as her mother. I sincerely hope and pray that a cure can be found soon, but not only that, I pray that future treatment for BC and any other kind of cancer is a lot less barbaric then it is today. All I am saying is that for me personally at this point in my life when I am trying to get on with things and put this experience behind me - Pink October couldn’t have come at a worse time. Best wishes to one and all, Jacqui xx
Great work Mole, that’s really contributing I think.
Once I’m through my primary treatment I intend to do a lot to help raise awareness and probably money for cancer research in general. I’m very fortunate that I have a lot of politically active friends who are intelligent and I know would and do spread the word, are active and have been feeding me the latest in cancer research stuff that isn’t making the main stream news (how many people here read the economist or would expect good articles in a mag like that)
How many people here even know about thebreastcancersite (dot com) which is set up to help fund mammograms for people in the US where there doesn’t seem to be a screening programme or 14 day referral etc. Just because someone’s sick of all the pinkness and fluffiness and it being a constant reminder doesn’t mean they think raising awareness is daft idea, of course not.
I’m really glad to see so much emphasis on the touch look feel side of things at the various websites I’ve happened across but I can’t get past the fact that before this year I knew about all that but had no idea what chemo does to a person or what anyone living with secondaries has to go through… I was ignorant as hell and not because I turned a blind eye to the campaigns in the past. I’m really hoping that in future years the media will maybe do some articles like “10 things you didn’t know about chemotherapy” or maybe some things about what treatments are available. I’ve seen these kind of articles in mags like New scientist though, in fact I read about tamoxifen in there about 15 years ago and knowing that kind of stuff has helped me be less scared of the treatments I face.