Warning – thar be a venty post ahead.
Last Saturday, there was a “run” for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. You would think as the child of a cancer survivor, I would be all over anything that supports cancer research. Wrong. All this “run” constituted was a bunch of overweight women and their kids clogging up traffic for 3 miles. Actual runners would be ashamed to see this event called a run at all. Breast cancer events always get under my skin. It seems like that’s the only type of cancer everyone is all “Yes! Let’s wear pink & talk about boobs!”. Statistically, surviving breast cancer is fairly likely. Colon cancer? Ew, that involves poop. No thanks. Lung cancer? You gave that to yourself. No need to raise money for you. Melanoma? What’s that? All of those are much more likely to kill you than breast cancer. I know it’s an unpopular opinion to have the seething anger I do toward a foundation that ultimately is out for good. It gets all the good press while other types of cancer are much less understood because there’s less money going into research for it.
Incidentally, my employer is one of the major corporate sponsors for Relay for Life in our area. I can get on board with that. It supports the American Cancer Society for general research, not just all boobs all the time. I’m perfectly happy to support that event. Plus, I get cupcakes out of the deal. I’m not okay with a foundation that has a lot of good marketing so much so that it pushes other research out of the way. It’s the high school prom queen cliche of the cancer research world.
Of course, I’m not saying don’t support the cause at all. I know that many people have lost loved ones to breast cancer. Cancer runs rampant in my family, especially on my dad’s side. When it’s my time to go, it will probably be cancer related. All I’m saying is consider why you’re supporting a cause in the first place. If it’s pink balloons and boobs that are drawing you in, then you’re probably on the wrong track. If you honestly want to support the cause because it’s trying to better the lives of those who suffer from it, more power to you. It all comes down to the “why”.
XOXO!
Beautiful Scars 