I hadn’t looked at this thread for a while now, as I didn’t like the way it was going - but was advised to check out a recent post on here by another bcc friend today… and I’m glad I did. Beautifully put, hipchick - that’s exactly how I feel.
xxx to you all xxx
Ditto, I’m with Trip. x
Me too! x
Not been online for a while, but wanted to contribute to the debate.
I am not a fan of ‘tickled pink’, but appreciate that it raises money…although in my opinion, not awareness. Would love to see a little tag line; ‘tickled pink… to be raising awareness’.
Before my dx I saw breast cancer as a soft and easy cancer, my education came from this forum and then my own treatment, I really had NO idea.
But I also know that I perpetuate this image; to my family I have always been fine, always smiling, pretending that it doesn’t hurt, chemo was ok, radiotherapy an inconvenience…
Recently I was ‘pitching’ a fund raising idea for BC, when out of nowhere I started telling people my reality of BC… carrying baby wipes around to wipe the sweat from my wig wearing head, always having nail polish and stick on nails in case a nail popped off at work, wearing flip flops in case my toenails bled and fell off by wearing shoes, constantly looking in the mirror at my fully made up face to make sure that my eyebrows hadn’t rubbed off and my false eyelashes weren’t sitting on my cheek… a year since my surgery and still not being able to look at my breasts.
Needless to say they were horrified, rightly so – too much information, too brutal, too honest.
I don’t have answers, but maybe somewhere between the current perception and the horrible reality… a little education, but not too much – it really is too horrible for most people.
Marguerite
Thanks. I love this site and the intelligent women who write here. Maybe having a brain and using it is one of the triggers for BC. I believe that we’re all doing our best and not to be judgemental. Celebrate the difference of opinion and be mightily glad that we’re here and able to express them.
Thanks Hipchick, love the idea that having a brain and using it could be a cause of BC - it makes me feel better about it! So much more positive than the “did I eat the wrong things, do the wrong things, etc” questions that we all ask ourselves.
Sarah x