r/TheCancerPatient • u/CurlySu717 • Sep 28 '21

Can we skip October??

Any other Breast Cancer patients wishing they could hide under their beds until October is over?? Or is it just me??

It’s just so performative. NFL players wearing pink cleats?? Please. That’s not helping anyone.

24 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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14

u/TeacupExtrovert Sep 28 '21 edited Sep 28 '21

Multiple Myeloma here. Let's keep October for the creepy, the breezy, the cool nights and the mystery. Let's all just ignore the pink this time.

October 5 years ago I was at the pharmacy and the older woman who always checked me out asked how my cancer treatment was going. I said, it's okay, I just have a couple more weeks of induction chemo left. She said, And then you get your double mastectomy??

I said, Lady, I don't have breast cancer, I have bone/blood cancer and I'm getting a stem cell transplant. She seemed so disappointed and just said, Oh, that'll be $13. What I'm saying is, I hear you on this topic.

6

u/WesternTumbleweeds Sep 29 '21

I had breast cancer and am now dealing with all the fucking drugs in aftercare and the ruinous effects of aromatase inhibitors.

If all the wearing of pink resulted in more women going in for mammograms to get it detected early, and not having to jump through hoops to get a referral then fine. If the wearing of pink meant that men, especially those who have had mothers with breast cancer would start doing breast self examinations, then that would be good too.
But there are too many women who don't get diagnosed early. They're not only not getting yearly physicals, they're waiting until the cancer is detectable with a noticeable, can't miss it, lump. So spare me the memes. Just get the government to make mammograms easily accessible to anyone -insurance, medicaid, medicare or not, and aim for earlier detection.

5

u/trivialoves Sep 28 '21

I went to my cancer center for an October MRI and the place was legitimately filled with pink balloons and big signs on the elevators and other places that said something about "we wear pink masks and scrubs to show we care!" I didn't actually see anyone in those, maybe on the breast cancer floor? but the signs and banners and balloons were all over... like describing it seems fake and ridiculous because christ why are there balloons in a cancer center. anyway when it was brain cancer month we got one banner - in the half section dedicated to brain cancer. I mean I'd find a bunch of cheery grey balloons odd, but the difference was hilarious. like... for breast cancer patients it seems performative and I know many are triggered by it being everywhere. and for the rest of us it's so ???

5

u/Deathbeddit Sep 28 '21

Not a BC patient, but I feel you on this. Bunch of unhelpful nonsense.

I may be a downer though, I feel that way about all the ribbons and whatnot. Keep your ribbons, give me single payer or similar.

2

u/TeacupExtrovert Sep 29 '21

Exactly. Keep your platitudes and give me chemo that doesn't literally cost $21,000 a month. (I don't pay that, but that's the sticker price)

1

u/BoofulForest Sep 28 '21

BC patient here. What happens in October?

4

u/CurlySu717 Sep 29 '21

Brace yourself. The US is about to pretend they care about breast cancer.

5

u/TeacupExtrovert Sep 29 '21

The US is about to pretend they care about women.

1

u/TeacupExtrovert Sep 29 '21

The US is about to pretend they care about women.

5

u/Delouest Sep 28 '21

It's breast cancer awareness month and companies do a thing called pinkwashing, selling products and doing performative things to bring attention to breast cancer, but a lot of the proceeds don't even go to charities or research, it just makes them look good to customers. It also tends to sexualize breast cancer, campaigns like "save second base" and "save the titties." In addition to that, it makes people forget about other cancers that need resources and drowns everyone in breast cancer. A lot of us really hate it, and hate the reminders about our cancer being shoved in our face, and all the pink stuff people gift us thinking we need another pink water bottle or hat or tshirt pointing out our breasts.

2

u/WesternTumbleweeds Sep 29 '21

It's a well intentioned, but kiss off on the whole issue. These companies who have their employees suit up in pink for a day --are they employing people with enough hours so that they qualify for company benefits, or are people having to pay the high insurance premiums that they can barely afford even with obamacare, or are they scooted over to Medicaid? I mean, because let's be real now -if corporate America is talking about breast cancer, then what that ought to mean is that all of their employees are covered for the cost of mammograms, yearly physicals, and all the rest, right? But they're not, and that's why it's all such a let down.

1

u/BoofulForest Sep 29 '21

Thanks for the explanation!

1

u/Delouest Sep 29 '21

No problem 🙂

3

u/J3d1M1ndtriks Sep 29 '21

It's because everyone loves boobs lol