16 things breast cancer is not!
In this post, I wanna get right to the point. Okay, points. And I want to be succinct, which means I am making no commentary on any of the statements on the list below. Which is really hard for me.
(I did stick in a few links, though, in case you want to read more of my opining.)
This is not a complete list of what breast cancer is not, but it’ll do for a start. I wanna hear from YOU, so be sure to leave your list additions in the comment section at the end of this post.
I know I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but I’m thinking a list is sometimes handy for reference and sharing. So, here we go!
16 Things Breast Cancer Is Not!
1. Breast cancer is not pink, pretty or party-like. Period.
Breast Cancer Is Not Pink, Pretty or Party-like. Period.
2. Breast cancer is not a pink ribbon.
Make that 13 Things Wrong with the Pink Ribbon!
3. Breast cancer is not the good cancer.
4. Breast cancer is not an opportunity to get a free boob job.
10 Reasons Why Breast Reconstruction Is Not a Boob Job!
5. Breast cancer is not a gift. (Don’t get me started.)
Calling Cancer a Gift Is Insulting!
6. Breast cancer is not an enlightenment program.
7. Breast cancer is not an opportunity for businesses to rake in extra bucks by selling pink crap or serving dumb-ass breast-shaped food items and/or pink beverages, or to do anything else solely intended to pad their bottom lines or boost their image.
Why Is Breast Cancer the Shopping Disease Anyway?
8. Breast cancer is not something you “do” then shelve like a book never to be opened again.
9. Breast cancer does not make you brave, courageous, strong or fill in the blank.
10. Breast cancer does not morph you into a new and improved version of your former self.
After a Cancer Diagnosis You’re a Better Person, Right?
11. Breast cancer is NOT a disease no one dies from anymore.
12. Breast cancer is not just a disease older women get.
13. Breast cancer is not just a female disease. Men can and sometimes do get it too.
14. Breast cancer is not a one-way ticket to wisdom or to understanding the meaning of life.
15. Breast cancer is not an excuse for others to objectify women or to trivialize this still too often deadly disease.
It’s Time to Stop Trivializing Breast Cancer!
16. Breast cancer is not supposed to be what October is about.
Okay, now tell me what else needs to be on this list.
And then, pass it on!
Thank you!
#BreastCancerRealityCheck
What would YOU add to this list?
Which on the list above speaks most to you?
NOTE FROM NANCY: I wrote about cancer language, cancer worry, survivor guilt, loss, pet grief, COVID-19, DIEP flap surgery, life as an introvert, aging, resiliency, and more in EMERGING. Available at Amazon and most other online booksellers. It’d mean a lot to me if you’d consider reading it. Click HERE or on the image below to purchase.
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Naomi hedden
Wednesday 18th of October 2023
Just because we didn’t die from it, we still have to live with it…365 days of the year, not just in October.
Nancy
Tuesday 24th of October 2023
Naomi, Exactly! 365 days a year. Enough said.
Dona
Thursday 16th of June 2022
Breast cancer is not an opportunity for the American Cancer Society to guilt you into donating. That happened to me. They send out a box of junk and then call for a donation. I sent the box back and told them what to do with it. They don't call anymore.
Nancy
Friday 17th of June 2022
Dona, Oh my. That does seem a bit like taking advantage. Good for you for handling things the way you saw fit.
Patricia Potter
Wednesday 27th of October 2021
I feel that until more emphasis is placed on how much and how often breast cancer happens to men, the research to finding more and/or better treatments will continue to grind slowly. I can't afford City of Hope but what I read about their research gives me hope.
Nancy
Thursday 28th of October 2021
Patricia, Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Ellen Tannenbaum
Wednesday 27th of October 2021
Breast cancer doesn’t only happen in October.
Nancy L. Seibel
Wednesday 16th of October 2019
Breast cancer is not your fault. Breast cancer is not cured by thinking positive. Breast cancer risk can in part be reduced through our own efforts. But human-caused environmental risks are pervasive and impervious to individual actions. These call for collective advocacy and action.
Nancy
Wednesday 16th of October 2019
Nancy, I love your additions. Thank you!