Some people wearing cancer like a badge, claims Saunders

[stressy_messy]

Hi topsymo, Belinda started a thread about the radio 4 program, might be good to post there. There doesn't seem to be a current issues/ hot topics section anymore, which is a shame. There is a "chat and games" section in the "talk to people like me" category.

Here's a link to Belinda's thread  

http://forum.breastcancercare.org.uk/t5/Living-with-secondary-breast/Radio-4-Saturday-afternoon-Dram...

XX

[Gizmos-mum]

Yes I'm wearing it  like a badge - ask me about my headscarf - I'll talk about my cancer to anyone who wants to know,I hope I'm not just attention seeking, people are interested to know and I want to raise awareness, it's not something to hide. Right now I'm lucky I'm told It's cureable and I'll be through chemo and surgery by Christmas. So yes I'm saying 'it's a year out of my life'  I know it's not always the case (and it might not be for me)but it keeps me positive and apparently thats a good thing.

Not read Saunders book so can't give opinion on her words.

[RevCat]

Hi Topsy Mo, I think this might be the link you are lookign for - only five days left though http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgxs

[topsymo]

 This is not about  Jennifer Saunders but it is  about a BBC prog.  so hope another R4 listener might be able to help me. Did other people  hear the excellent play  on Sat afternoon ("Goodbye") and if so please can someone direct  me to the place on this new website where I might find comments on it - and on other subjects that used to be listed under "current, topical issues" ...........or something like that? Many thanks.

[Penny47]

Jennifer Saunders has just published her autobiography and she will be reading it in five installments this week Monday to Friday on Radio 4 at 9:45- you can catch it for a week after on the iPlayer.

I read the bits about BC in her book (which is called Bonkers) standing up in the bookstore. (not just because I don't want to buy the book and seem to be supporting her attitude- it's just that I haven't got room in my house for another hardback book!) I had the impression she was just minimizing the whole thing and that's an attitude I think we're all familiar with.  So "wearing the badge" is deeply threatening to people like her (deeply involved with her appearance and impact on other people; well, she IS an entertainer!) .  You get this with Disability- the attitude used to be "well just get on quietly with your life and try to be independent".  Now it's much more about looking at how people are disabled by things in their life, from street furniture to people's attitudes.  I'm not a person who has disabilities...except for this new one of Cancer.  For these months and years I am recovering I will learn to "claim" it- by exchanges such as we have here on the Forum, by joking about it, by reminding others about it....and I will wear this badge even as I move on, however it is meant for me to move on.  I  need to do this to get through it.  But I will never be able to deny it.  End of rant.

[cornishgirl]

She is also doing a web chat on Mumsnet on Thurs between 12 - 1 Pm

http://www.mumsnet.com/books/webchats/jennifer-saunders-photos

And an interview with Mark Lawson, tomorrow on Radio 4  at 19.15 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03c48z5

JS is certainly getting a lot of "attention"  lets hope she apologizes to all those she has offended and upset with her crass rremarks and doesn't  go digging  herself into an even  bigger hole!!

 L  x  

[fecinora]

She's on Radio 2 Steve Wright tomorrow (Wed) 2 - 5 pm, wonder if she will say anything about BC.

[applestreet]

Very well said all ladies!!...I am going to vote with my purse at JS and have cut her book from my Xmas list..I usually look forward to Xmas..I love autobiographies and love getting them as pressies..when I heard that she was writing a book  I thought "great..pressie pls"..but...in all conscience I won't be asking or buying...I remember  a certain celebrity saying "it's just a year out of my life"..it's not..it's forever...stay well Jennifer but engage your brain pls next time you have a comment...

[NAZ]

Absolutely Rev Cat, pink and fluffy it is not!

The disease does need some attention and  in my view, to raise awareness to the public, that it is 'not the best cancer to be dx with' neither is it  'just a year out  of a woman's life' or any other of these odd misconceptions about BC that some people seem to have?

Time for lunch...

[RevCat]

Well said, Lulu.  I totally agree - if 'wearing the badge' means I can help raise awareness and/or help other people deal with this stuff then I'll wear it proudly. 

I'll wear it in support of the many amazing friends I've made along the way, some now facing new diagnoses  or long term side effects.

I'll wear it in memory of the too many lovely friends this evil disease has stolen from us.

I  don't need attention but this disease does - pink and fluffy it is not.

Oops. Better stop before I go into rant mode!!

[Lulu34]

Also what exactly is wrong with being abdge wearing card carrying member of the BC brigade if you actually do something to help... I have read books and blogs by people like lisa lynch who pit her experiences to good use... Or those who use their experiences to campaign for better services like free dental treatment that my friend angie has taken on board.... I AM a badge wearing, card carrying BC buddie and i dont like the fact i have cancer or had cancer or have maybe passed on the cancer gene to my kids who will have their own battles..... But i have met some fantastic ladies, have had some fantastic friends who are no longer with us and altered my career path to help others.

What exactly is wrong with that?

[poemsgalore]

Well said Mumofthree,

Wouldn't it be a strange world if we could ALL sit on a sofa in a tv studio or write a book bleating on about our experiences. No, most of us remain in the background quietly doing what we can to help others as we ourselves have been helped. 

From me, a big thank you to all who have helped, supported and advised me since my DX last October. Bless you all.

poemsgalore xx

[Mumtothree]

I've read the article link and been on the FB page, several things intrigued me. I find it very strange that people who expressed their disappointment or sadness at JS's comments were laid open to offensive abuse by members on there. Surely the same respect should have been given to those people as they evidently give to JS for the article. I read through all the replies and did comment myself but wish I read all the posts on here before I did. I've always liked JS and like many have laughed at her comedy but reading that she allegedly didn't say/mean what was written confused me as to why a retraction wasn't called for. I wasn't aware she has written a book about her cancer and can't help agreeing with many others that its a case of the kettle calling the teapot black.
It really saddens me the way celebrities, Ms Jolie springs to mind blazen over newspapers and magazines about their preventative surgery incase they developed cancer. This seems to be acceptable and she's exalted for it, but let's be realistic there are probably thousands of women each week going through the same experience and most probably not even their neighbours know a thing about it. There are many women and men celebrity or otherwise who go through this and work blooming hard to make life as normal as possible for their loved ones. Thinking about it I imagine it isn't easy for men who are diagnosed because like men who suffer spousal abuse they don't like people knowing for fear of being ridiculed or told to man up.
I've lost many friends female and male to cancer, not one of them sought the attention, tbh when I was dx recently the last thing I thought of was 'ooooh I can get many miles out of this' . My first thought was of slight guilt and definite sadness that my darling hubby who lost his brother to cancer a couple of yrs ago and his best friend of over 42 yrs to cancer earlier this year. The pain is still very raw, I would give anything for him not to go this journey again so soon.

It's been said on this thread that no Dr can tell us we're not going to die from this and we're clear, I have to agree. When I saw the consultant for my post op follow up one of the questions I asked was if I had all this treatment would that be it and it wouldn't come back. She apologised and said they could NOT give me or anyone that assurance only that they would do everything they could to help me to fight it.

So, Ms S, if its not a battle why do we have to 'fight' it? Why have you put your own badge on by writing a book about your experience and why not carry on wearing your wig until your hair was longer then no one would have noticed it wasn't a short haircut you'd treated yourself to.

I don't think I can ever watch Ms Saunders again without thinking about the words she chose to use .

[Guest user]

We have won the battle but not the warxx

[Guest user]

I agree so much with all the comments, I was so angry and upset by all JS comments that I did send in a comment to Huffington Post but have seen no sign of it being posted, I felt she lived in a different world from the rest of us and seemed to be informed wrongly by her medical team if she thought she was clear and that it was all over with.
I knew that it was not a thing to dismiss completely after 6 years and I began to feel unwell it was put down to the fact that my partner had died a few months before after fighting Leukaemia for 2 years, but luckily they eventually took me seriously and it was back in lymph nodes on same side as before, went through chemo and Herceptin, but over the last 8 years have had 13 operations some for infection some for reconstruction, then to remove reconstruction all of which I hated but had just got to get through it like everybody affected by this and was so pleased when my hair came back yet again very curly but getting near my shoulders slowly by surely. My love and thoughts are with you all but as for JS she can look after herself as I do not feel her the least bit funny anymore 🙂

[belinda]

It's a shame there is a ridiculous amount of attention given to so called 'celebrities.' You will never see me grinning inanely behind a talking head on the television. J.S. made some very unkind remarks. I don't wear a pink ribbon and I don't do sponsored walks in bras. I know J.S. did do one of the night time bra walks and I expect she made a large amount of money for charity. I'm not knocking that, it's just not for me. I prefer a quieter way to raise funds.

Just as the red ribbon is worn so now is the pink. Quite how some breast cancer patients were then accused of basking in attention and being terribly p*ssed off when their hair started to grow is a mystery to me. It might give us an interesting insight into J.S.'s thoughts. But unfortunately it may cause upset to some who are living with or dealing with cancer. And to those who have lost a loved one to cancer.  Unfortunately these people don't have the same resources to hand to challange any of her remarks. 

[Jenifer]

Well said, Linda! I agree 100%

[cornishgirl]

What I don't understand about JS is she has always said she would Never talk about her Breast Cancer ,but of late in some of the articles I've read she 's had plenty to say about it so seeking attension and wearing a badge is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black ,and yes there is a book coming out in Oct (Breast Cancer Awareness Mth) ,

Celebrities have a responsibility ,as they are in the Public eye, not to sugar coat this disease. and not to vilify and demean others who are dealing with this disease on a daily basis, we have all lost friends to this vile disease , in my 6 yrs on BCC its been bl***y heartbreaking to loose so many of our members , none of them wore cancer like a badge, and none of them were p***ed off when there hair came back, in fact I've never met a cancer patient that has worn cancer like a badge, I think its a disgusting thing for her to say. Im sick to death of stories in the press of celebs declaring of being "Cured" or "All Clear" yes they very well maybe, but none of us with breast cancer can know that for sure until we grow old and die of something else. Thats the reality of this disease.
Breast Cancer unlike other cancers can come back 5/10/20 yrs later, (same cancer on path result) so we all continue to live with the elephant in the room , most of us find a way to put our cancer in a box most of the time and just get on with our lives, but its still always there at the back of our minds ,and always will be however many yrs pass by. And yes we could all get hit by a bus tomorrow , however as the great Dr Peter Harvey put it ,the difference with people who have not had cancer, and those that have is that they have seen that bus coming and don't know whether it will stop in time.


We must stop talking about this disease like its a battle to be won or lost, or that a positive attitude will somehow cure us, it cant and wont, finding the right treatments that work for "us" is what will hopefully keep our cancers at bay. Am fed up of Joe Public thinking breast cancer is so so very curable these days , just chop your boobs off,get treatment and job done, and its because these celebs with their loose words and uninformed nonsence that breast cancer isn't taken very seriously anymore. We have all had the comments of "Oh they can cure that these days you know" or "Oh Breast Cancer is the best one to have" "or "If I get breast cancer il just have a MX then it will be gone" yes, many people DO survive breast cancer thank god these days, but survival rates also include those living with reocurrence and secondaries, and how on earth are we ever going to get out to the media and joe public the sometimes still harsh realities of this disease if we keep sugar coating it.
I've never let my breast cancer define or control me, I control it ,even though I got to 5 yrs and very soon after had a 2nd Dx ,I would give anything to get off the cancer rollercoaster ,just like everyone else I know with cancer ,there is absolutely nothing glamorous , exciting or hobby like about this disease, its hideous ,vile and cruel and if anyone wants that cancer badge then they are very welcome to it., il take my normal healthy nice carefree life back anyday thanks!! In my experience most breast cancer patients go to great lengths to show the rest of the world they are "normal", on the outside, if not in, no one wants to be a Victim and no one wants Sympathy or Self Pity its ridicules ,offensive and extremely hurtful to anyone fighting this disease.
Off my soapbox now , just to say my views are not intended to offend anyone and are directed at JS who was totally out of order with her silly remarks.
Linda

[Rattles]

I just wanted to make a plea for compassion and understanding. 

I personally see cancer as a terrible disease which causes suffering and hardship. Too many mothers, sisters, daughters and friends have had their lives cut short. Although I have always found the whole 'pink' thing a bit too much in previous years,  I appreciate it's appeal and I am grateful for the awareness and funding it attracts. Ive thought about designing my own t-shirt with a slightly punk design and a big slash across that part of my body where I used to have a breast, but I daresay it would just terrify most people!!

As a woman who has had breast cancer twice, I went through a stage of feeling a bit like a freak. I have a brca1 mutation - does that make me a 'mutant' I asked myself?! But, I have tried my best to deal with this and a good friend helped me to see that maybe I have a 'gene' for courage and kindness and all the other things - good and bad- which make me who I am.

I've learned that everyone copes differently and we need to do what works to get us through the dark times.

Good luck to anyone reading this thread, wherever you are in your treatment and recovery.

xxxxxx

[Jenifer]

Eloquently written, ss, but I must take issue with you on a couple of points:

1. 'my cancer isn't a hobby, or an interest' - neither is any of our cancers, except that maybe if we can help someone get through it we will do what we can.

2. 'for some people their illness defines them, it's a badge they're proud to wear..I'll never be proud of having had cancer. It's s**t and i don't want it.'  - why would anyone be proud to have had cancer? Nobody I have ever met has been, and none of us 'want' it. 

Hope this doesn't offend you, because no offence is intended.

[Guest user]

I was diagnosed last year, chemotherapy followed lumpectomy; then I found out I am BRCA+ so I had both ovaries and both breasts removed.

Millions of pounds have been gathered to combat cancer, and if it weren't for all the fund raising, and awareness raising, I probably wouldn't be here, and it's quite certain that I wouldn't have had the preventative surgery that I've undergone.

When I was first diagnosed I came to this website seeking information and reassurance and I got it.  Here wasn't the only resource I was able to access, and the support and treatment I received was tremendous.

I am grateful and I am happy to still be alive.

And despite all that, I too am sick to the back teeth of the "pink ribbon culture".   I've met women for whom -- so it seems to me -- breast cancer has been the only exciting thing to have happened to them in their lives.  They live and breathe it..... salivating over the last tiny details of the anti-sickness meds, or the radiotherapy burns.  They wanted me to join their coven when I sat in my chair at the hospital, noxious chemotherapy dripping into my veins, eager to find out how big my lump had been, or how it had been discovered, and barely able to contain the most intimate details of how their own diagnoses had been given to them.   "They suck the life and happiness out of you", my friend told me as she sat with me unable to avoid overhearing two women near to us comparing their hormone receptors like kids playing Top Trumps.

For some people, their illness -- any illness -- defines them.  It doesn't just become a badge they wear, it's a badge they are proud to wear.  I'll never be proud of having had cancer.  It's sh*t, and I don't want it.  I also don't want a sh*t thing like cancer to define who I am, or what I do.  If I can't live my life free from cancer, I want to live whatever life I may have left free from having to think about it, or wearing pink ribbons, or discussing it with strangers who suddenly think we have so much in common.

I haven't "beaten cancer's butt" and I'm not a "survivor".  Those labels signify that cancer's presence in my life is still meaningful for me; it isn't.   I am, however, still here, and at this moment it's gone away, but it may still come back to get me and who knows, I may also get run over by a bus tomorrow but you can be sure it won't be when I'm on my way to a bloody pink ribbon support group. 

I give to cancer charities quietly and privately.  I don't want to march through the streets at 3am in my bra (not that I have any of those left any more), or ask for people to sponsor my pink ribbon cupcakes.  I'm not saying those things are wrong..... they are just wrong for me.

This  message board on the forum is entitled "Living with breast cancer".  We all choose to live life (however long or short that may be) our own way, with different values, interests and hobbies.  My cancer isn't a hobby, or an interest, and I don't want to waste one more second of my precious time than I have to thinking about it.

How we think and feel about difficult and upsetting things  is very personal and subjective.  Good luck to every woman - and man - who has to deal with breast cancer... either their own, or a loved one's.

[Jenifer]

For such a supposedly intellient woman she seems to be oblivious of the fact that by using her cancer experience as the basis for her book it is she who is wearing it as a badge. 

If her cancer wasn't that big a deal why hasn't she just moved on and written about something else unrelated to BC?

[cornishgirl]

Yes I had hoped so too, I've had to stop reading the comment sections in news papers /mags now on Google about this article as they just get me really upset. Am really disgusted with some peoples attitudes, they should walk a day in the life of someone who has breast cancer, then they would realise just what its like. 

[suzan]

I too read the article by Js on breast cancer. I see we have another one who thinks  its all over after 5 years and then you  get up and walk away and get on with your life. And also I wonder who her doctor is telling her she is not going to die. I read an article today in the lancet oncology and it was talking about hormone positive breast cancers and how they were looking into why they came back after a long time. I see js is taking tamoxifen so I would think hers is er pos.When you have lived with breast cancer for a long time you get to know lots of ladies some with  a very good prognosis that dont make it  Others that were told they wouldent last long and are still going strong  I myself had a reccurence of my original breast cancer after 18 years and I know of many ladies who have a reccurrence after 5 years. I think  ms JS ought to look at her facts about the disease, breast cancer can come back at any time we are never free of it   And as for wearing it as a badge to attract attention well I for one can think of plenty of ways I would sooner have got attention. Losing your hair and your breast and suffering side effects of drugs isnt exactly the way I woyuld have planned it. I seem to remember another celebrity who said it was a year out of her life who unfiortunately dident make it.  We all take one day at a time and it makes us appreciate life more. I am totally disgusted by her remarks and think she should apologise and look at the facts and perhaps we should all get an appointment with her doctor who seems to guarantee that you wont die  regards suzan

[belinda]

My goodness that really takes the biscuit. Just had a look, it's J.S.'s 'Bonkers Life.'  One book that will not be on my Father Christmas list.  It's out in October so she can cash in on the Pink washing and Christmas.

I actually thought there may have been an apology today.

[spookymoo]

I have noticed on the Facebook page that JS has a new book out : Jennifer Saunders: Breast Cancer and Me which has been posted with a link and a reference to the  Times extract. I was disgusted before but even more so now! So its ok for JS to wear BC as a badge (PUBLICITY -LOOK AT ME I HAVE A NEW BOOK!) - but not all of the thousands of other ladies, NOT in the public eye, who have to battle this disease, and all of the freinds and families who have lost loved ones to this disease! Glasshouses and stones springs to mind. I can't even be bothered to read the link! All I know is that, for ALL of us BC is a horribe disease. It robs of us our hopes and dreams. It scars our bodies. It leaves us a legacy from chemo and all the other treatment we have to endure. It promises nothing but  uncertainty for the future.  It robs of us jobs, lifestyle and millions of other things that people take for granted! I wear my BC badge with pride - I stepped up to the plate and battled it - but I do not know if I have won - none of us can say that. SHAME on you JS, SHAME!!!

[cornishgirl]

The people on that facebook Fan Page  are despicable and more awful venom has been spouted today, I tried putting a link to the Breast Cancer Cares New Awareness Campaign Video as thought they might be interested in supporting breast cancer in a more constructive way, but they then banned me and removed all my comments, say's it all really doesn't it,  am pretty disgusted at some peoples attitudes towards cancer these days. 

[sunflowerfan]

I've always been a huge fan of JS.....well, until now. I've just read her comments and can't believe her insensitive comments - how dare she assume an intimate knowledge of any of us as to our varying breast cancer experiences and accuse any single sufferer of wearing cancer like a badge?? Surely it's not a "Badge" any of us asked for! I have just finished my radiotherapy, and still feel a tad fragile, and just don't need to read unhelpful comments from someone who clearly doesn't understand how easy it is for these type of negative comments to reduce an otherwise strong individual to tears.

For myself, I didn't tell any of my brothers and sisters until a few weeks after my surgery when I was given my results and advised it had not spread, that way, I spared them any major worry until I knew exactly what I was dealing with. I felt I had to let my sisters know - just in case they wanted to get themselves checked out. Sure I have had some attention -  I told my daughters and siblings and  just a very few close friends and have been sent flowers and wishes of support, and my partner has been brilliant through my treatments. But as for JS saying "Because it is the job you don’t have to work for. You suddenly get so much attention, and if you’re not used to that, I bet it can sway you a little bit". Well, I am currently on ESA for the first time in 33 years of working in pretty average sorts of jobs all my life, having coincidentally finished working full time and changing jobs just one week before I was diagnosed following my first mammogram. This meant that my new part-time job was terminated when I went into hospital for surgery, because I had not even made it through the probationary period! Like all other BC sufferers, none of this was my choice, and  if this is a "Job you don't have to work for" then please could JS tell me where are my and every other BC sufferer's wages for the privilege of this horrible illness? She really has been so lucky in life - to have been talented enough to make a career which has given her a good living and a sense of purpose by making people laugh - Sure she'll say she's had to work hard, well so have I and many thousands of other BC sufferers!!! But no fame and fortune for most of us, and certainly no bonus  income from celebrity status! 

Anyway, that's enough of a rant from me!

Wishing all of you a speedy recovery 

love from

Chris x

[Cressida]

Oh dear.  I have been quite fond of JS.  Maybe just because because I grew up with her being silly on the telly.  

I really want to believe she has been misquoted, but she seems to have confirmed that she did say this stuff and she only objects to the headline and the way it has been publicised.  I have read that she has been taking antidepressants to cope with the effects of cancer treatment and I have tried to excuse her on those grounds; maybe she has missed a few pills.....

In reality she must be media savvy by now.  She must know that what she says to journalists may be printed and, if she says something stupid, it will definitely be printed.

She does not have a responsibility, in my view, to agree with me about how to deal with cancer.  But, as a public figure she does have a responsibility not to diminish how others deal with it.  She also has a responsibility not to encourage the kind of venom against "cancer survivors" that can be seen on the facebook page run by her fans.  There is a political agenda to reduce sympathy towards anyone disabled and claiming benefits.  She now has the dubious honour of opening that door a little wider and giving permission to nutters to have a go at people with cancer.

At least she is aware that she is needy of attention but maybe she does not realise just how much she craves it.  She seems to have done this to sell her book.  Any publicity is better than no publicity, as they say.

[katytc]

Oh deary, deary me, Ms Saunders, attention seeking breast cancer ladies/gents??? Really appalling statements by a woman who has great media experience re words taken out of context, which appears to be incorrect by Ms Saunders own response. 

Very sad, thoughtless and so inappropriate xx

[belinda]

When in a hole stop digging as they say. So much for sisterhood. I'm still surprised JS, an intelligent woman, does not seem to know however good a team of doctors she had no-one can say she is now free of cancer. She has wasted such a chance to tell the media there is never an all clear for breast cancer. It is quite commonplace, sadly, to have newbies to the secondaries forums that were first diagnosed 10,15 even twenty years ago. And even though, in the scheme of things, it's not so important, so many of us, surely the majority of us can't wait for our hair to grow back. I'm stage 4 and I'm hoping not to die anytime soon but I'm really happy this is my first weekend I've left my hats in the cupboard.

And if there are people that wear a cancer badge should we not feel some compassion for them? If someone is lonely and are listened to by doctors, nurses, someone on the bus, do we ridicule them or feel how awful life must be if having cancer only then brings you to the attention of others?

[cornishgirl]

The conversation on Twitter today between JS and the editor of the Times  was ,quote

 Jennifer says @ferrifrump Can I just say that I did not slate cancer survivors and a tiny part if an interview twisted to suit their bloody headline. "  

  "Janice Turner @VictoriaPeckham V disappointed that Jennifer Saunders (@ferrifrump) who I i'viewed for @thetimes is saying I distorted her views on cancer. Sadly this is >"  

  "jennifer saunders @ferrifrump @VictoriaPeckham not saying u distorted my views . Interview was good its the headlines and outrage that spun out of that"  

  "Janice Turner @VictoriaPeckham @ferrifrump Thank you for clarifying. Helpful as am now getting angrily trolled for "twisting" your words."

So jennifer saunders is not saying they twisted her views, but the headline that caused the outrage that spun out of that,  No Jennifer it was your comments that have offended and upset so many people with breast cancer.  xx

[sarahlousie]

Am as  livid as everyone else on here and on facebook about the insensitive comments made by JS, if her words were twisted as has been pointed out I still feel she should explain exactly what was said and how they were twisted. As a celebrity who has been through what we've been through or are going through more than anyone else she understands how cruel this disease is. Being in the public eye she has a responsibility to address these sensitive issues with tact and compassion, I certainly for one could of done without the so called 'attention' a cancer dx brings, I hate everything about this vile disease and as one with secondaries  have too continue on treatments with side effects for the rest of my life.

There is no comedy in a breast cancer dx, and so much I have missed out on like having children, going through hellish early menopause , panic attacks, fear and losing all trust in my body (something everyone else takes for granted). She must be off her head too think that any of us likes  the attention or wearing cancer like a badge.  Personally I'd go back to Sarah the invisable normal person that I was before this dammed dx.

[cornishgirl]

Some fairy lights would be fabulous, I don't think people realize sometimes just how unkind words from others who should know better can affect people ,what she said in the media, (even If it is her own personal view) was totally out of order and she needs to apologize publicly to those that she has caused so much offence and upset too, 

xx

[belinda]

I love your badge....is it attention seeking enough though? may I suggest fairy lights?

Ah but seriously I had a quick blah after I'd posted...feeling at bit 'doomed' today. Alright now  but it takes the breath away that someone who has been through all this would make such unkind, because they are just that, unkind remarks.  x

[cornishgirl]

Got me badge, i thought a pink one would be apt , & have tweeted jennifer  but have had no reply yet. x  

[applestreet]

Just shown this article to my OH and air is blue!!!!!...Spooky thank you for saying what I really  felt...totally agree with every word..Rattles.."fished it out of the bin"..that was an excellent reaction..it' s where this sort of rubbish belongs...loved Jennifer before on tv...I'll be reaching for the remote from now on!!!!

[cornishgirl]

Thanks Belinda, I wasn't really sure where to post this with BCC not having a current issues/hot topic section anymore, I am totally disgusted with this article And that ANY so called celebrity could make such crass comments about her fellow cancer sufferers, I am also disgusted at some of the nasty and downright terrible comments being made on the Jennifer Saunders Fan Page on Facebook,, comments such as breast cancer patients just want "Sympathy and Self Pity, and that we keep harping on about breast cancer because we think we are superior to others!! Is this really how the general public sees us?, how sad that such  comments instigated by a  celebrities  ill advised comments to the media has caused such hatred towards   many  breast cancer patients. Shame on her for saying what she has in this article.  She should be campaigning for this disease, not vilifying and demeaning others that are continually struggling with this disease.

https://www.facebook.com/jennifersaunders.fans/posts/10151661970391658?comment_id=27896951&notif_t=l...

[NAZ]

Spookymoo, you have hit the nail on the head! I was just way too angry to write down what i wanted to say, BUT YOU have said it all for me- thankyou!

JS -  If you ARE guilty of saying these remarkss..double shame on you!!

[Rattles]

I fished the article out of my bin and here it is.................

The interviewer asks if some people want to keep wearing cancer like a badge?

"For ever - and I will give you why. Because its the job you never have to work for. You suddenly get so much attention, and if you are not used to that, I bet it can sway you a bit. I'm used to it! My job gives me the attention I would otherwise crave. They must be so p.....d (sorry BCC) off when their hair comes back. And you think, 'Oh,come on, cancer is so common now."

I personally tend to try to respect the different ways that people cope, and some people do cope by trying to minimise or make light of it all. But I also think that we should go through life without putting others experience down to make ourselves feel better. And so frankly, I was not impressed.

I noticed that the interview also makes reference to Jennifer Saunders taking anti-depressants after her treatment, and that she does now which rather suggests that it wasn't all just about a 'tit job' and that there was an emotional impact on her of the treatment. Should a public figure feel that they have to be honest about their experiences?  I don't know and I imagine it must be another layer to deal with. But compare this is to the three courageous women who have agreed to be photographed for BCC's new campaign-  graceful and brave.

I would certainly say that Breast Cancer is a job. Too flippin' right. The job I never wanted. Is it common? Shockingly common. And let's face it there are a lot easier ways to get a new hair-cut or a 'tit-job.' I only hope I am lucky enough to meet my granddaughter.

Shame on you Jennifer!

Rattles

[spookymoo]

I too have seen this article and was hopping mad after I read it! I thought it was just me, but I can see by the comments, that it has upset and offended many. I am not sure if Ms Saunders has been misquoted or if the article is accurate. Perhaps she really did make those comments. Shame if she did! None of us asked for BreastCancer. None of us asked for our whole lives. And that of our children, families, and friends, lives to be turned upside down!  None of us asked to go through debilitating treatment, such as chemo, rads and hormone / targeted therapies. None of us requested surgery -. Which is not glamorous or cosmetically enhancing in any form . I wear my scars with pride, yes, to the outside world. But I would give anything to not have a 'new' left breast, have a nipple again ( a proper natural one.), not to have a massive scar across my abdomen or a long scar downmy left arm from the vein graft when the flap died and I also nearly died too. I would give anything not to have the fear or the worry that it is going to come back. I would give anything to have the surety that I will live long enough to see my children grow up and go to uni. Let alone seeing them get married. Or being a grandpare nt!  And as for 'cancer is so common'. I am sorry. In a population of over 60million. 55,0000 are diagnosed with Breast Cancer every year and approx 11,000 will die from BC. I was diagnosed at 43. I have had to watch my sister-in-law die at 43 from BC. My sister battle ovarian cancer at 27. I had to tell my children who were 10 and 13 that their mum had BC . My consultants have never given me the all-clear. They have never said it will be ok and I will be cured. Its bad enough living with BC and all the bulls@"t we have to endure to "get better" without people demeaning it. Or lessening the struggle we all have. Or glamourising it. It is a **bleep** of a disease. I have lost loved ones and friends to it. I have no guarantee i willl beat it.People should walk a day in the shoes of a BC 'suvivor' and see how much of a great badge it is!!!! 

[belinda]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention L.

I've just pasted the link in the Secondaries Living forum. Such a shame, JS's husband did a marvellous article on how breast cancer had impacted on them both a while ago.

I've only become more open with my bc since having to use a crutch and having my chemo hair. For years I chose to only tell a small handful of people because I didn't want to be defined by this ****** illness.

And of course it highlights what so many of us dislike the 'cure' myth.

[applestreet]

ipaditis!!!!!!!Address

[applestreet]

these so called celebrities make me really mad!!!!!!!!!! i can remember a certain ladyon the tv making light of this awful disease and she is no longer with us. i hope jennifer stays well but she should consider what we all know you are never free of bc we just make the best of our lives. i was in the breast clinic the other day when i saw a lady i vaguely know from the days of my kids school yrs. she was wearing a wig and not looking too well . i was glad to be able to comfort her a bit and give her the addreaa of our wonderful site. job done. buck up jennifer and make positive sounds. may she never suffer secondaries and use her status to help not hinder!!!!!!

[Lulu34]

She criticised the interviewer on twitter..... The interviewer then got grief and tweeted at JS who then said the interview was good it was the headlines and peoples outbursts that were wrong!

Nope jen it was you that was wrong!

[NAZ]

Agree with you Cornishgirl!

[cornishgirl]

 If she has been misquoted then she should ask the Times for a retraction in order to clear this up ,this article has upset an awful lot of cancer patients on Facebook and celebrities should know better than to make such glib remarks to the media . The damage has already been done and she should apologise now.

This article is also in the Saturday Times magazine , page 22..  

[Zeppa]

Jennifer Saunders has just tweeted:

'Can I just say that I did not slate cancer survivors and a tiny part if (sic) an interview twisted to suit their bloody headline'.

[RevCat]

That sounds like a very balanced response Zeppa.  I am always very wary of these media reports as quotes are selective and sometimes manipulated to create a 'mood' the journalist is after.   It certainly seems as if Jennifer Saunders' response, as reported, was at best foolishly expressed; she is entitled to her opinions, of course she is, but with public recognition comes both power and responsibility.

I chose to be public about my cancer and its treatment, and on the whole that seems to have been positively received, helping to demystify some of what the treatment was, etc.  At the same time I have always been very careful to avoid 'normalising' my experience, because we  are all unique.  Do I wear 'cancer' like a badge?  Well, maybe I do - I often think everyone must be sick of my talking about it, or nagging them to get screening or checks, by now - but if doing so raises a bit of awareness and means some other woman/man benefits then it's worthwhile.

No one has ever told me I'm cured or that I won't die of breast cancer.  My oncologist told me three years ago that he was treating with "curative intent".  The phrase 'all clear' or the word 'cured' will never be spoken.... I am NED - No Evidence of Disease and happy to be so.  I love life and live it to the full - but the shadow of breast cancer, however small, however faint, never quite goes away, and I don't think it ever will.  It will only be possible to say I was 'cured' if/when my  death certificate says something else on it!

If breast cancer is a badge, then unchosen as it is, I'll wear it proudly until the day no-one else is handed theirs!

[Zeppa]

It looks as if she was reacting to someone asking her whether some people wear cancer like a badge, so those words were put into her mouth. She seems to have said some stupid things on the spur of the moment. She had already said that she was completely free of cancer (which is never true of breast cancer, of course) and been taken up on that.

About 'wearing cancer like a badge', it may be true of some people, but on the other hand complete silence about it seems a bad idea to me, yet if you mention it, some non-cancer-sufferers are going to condemn you.

There's no easy way. I hope Jennifer Saunders explains what she said in more detail!