One day.....

One day…..pink will only be for princesses.


That is the best way to sum up my feelings at the moment. If you aren’t aware, which you most likely aren’t unless you are directly involved in a cause or fight right now, there is a HUGE brew-ha-ha happening regarding pink, specifically various organizations of pink. There is the huge movement amongst this new group of women who are being diagnosed with breast cancers. It spans across ages and races and sometimes I think even rationality to encompass almost anyone you can think of. It is a backlash against the corporate overlords who have risen from the dust of these various organizations to now control these behemoths and are sending them in directions that the movement does not like.

It seems self-defeating to me. The objections range from “your name is projecting the wrong image” to “you are only funding research and prevention…what about a cure?” (You & Your being the companies/organizations they are criticizing) Now don’t get me wrong, I want a cure…but here’s the catch that they are either not aware of or not willing to acknowledge…there isn’t just one kind of breast cancer and therefore there isn’t just one cure…and who gets to get cured first?????? Well I vote for me and my kind because it has no other “help” but maybe we should do the one that is the super quick one that is almost too late too often…..or maybe we should just focus on the one that has the biggest subgroup and say screw you to everyone else…..see where I have issues here????

Yes, I do desire a cure and much more funding and research for that but…don’t be too quick to knock prevention and awareness…so many people have found their lumps on their own, and yet I wonder, would they have if it hadn’t been drilled into our brains to do BSEs…hmmmmm???That is not the only program that is run through some of the big groups either and perhaps you have a small group but in my town it’s huge and they gave away $3 MILLION last year in grants to amazing projects, I worked on some and know about many of the rest and it is truly needed things including prevention and CURE research and activities. AND if the groups’name is catchy and gets to a certain sub-group of women…isn’t that worth possibly offending your sensibilities??? If you do not like them then do not support them or do not participate in their activities/fundraisers but stop the bad-mouthing, it’s unbecoming of ladies. AND …yes, breasts in our culture are sexual...deal with it!!! They were to you before your cancer and are you so self-righteous as to not even acknowledge that?????? Should they be, no, but that is not something any pink organization created, they merely used the existing “vehicle” to promote their ideas and wares. If you want to tackle breast sexuality I think y’all are barking up the wrong tree and need to stop the infighting and look outside the group for that one, but I digress….

Actually not so much in the simplicity of that statement, stop the infighting. None of us, NOT A SINGLE ONE, wanted breast cancer or wants anyone else to get it either. We are really all on the same team here REALLY. You all need to change the way you are viewing the playing field and realize that some of us are catchers others are pitchers and some are just waiting in the dugout for their chance to shine, but we are all on the same team. ALL OF US. If I were your mother I’d put you in time outs!!!!

And so that is why I am tired of pink, well one of the reasons….I really don’t like it either, have never been a pink kind of girl…a mauve or rose but not pink ;)

I have just passed the three year mark since diagnosis which is huge but not where I start counting from…of course everyone is different and I am lucky in many ways that I had the whirlwind treatment and only have a four month space between diagnosis and complete removal and remission so I choose to wait for that date to truly celebrate because in my mind I was not a survivor until it was gone and I had survived and was continuing to and thrive, but that is JUST FOR ME, that is only how I qualify myself and technically I don’t even like the label survivor, I think it is a misnomer, aren’t we all surviving being here every day????? My point is, we are all unique creatures, thank goodness, and every journey is different and so we should stop being divisive and come together…..right now… and make it so pink is only for princesses again and the sooner the better.

Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all those out there:)
 
Blog ya later-
K

Summer

Sooo summer has started off with a typical whirlwind of zaniness around these parts! :)

We are only two weeks in but it has been non-stop parties for Lex(seriously, she's been to one all three weekend since break began...it's starting to wear me out ;-P ) and we spent the first week celebrating B's turning the big 1-0..double digits baby!!!  Then this past week we went up to the lake to spend time with some of the cousins which was super fun......and exhausting!!!  And then back for Komen yesterday which was also super fun...and exhausting!  This year we had a mardi gras-esque theme and handed out about 1400 pink beads necklaces...it was a very interesting study in people and crowds to see that happen...I just watched and smiled and the kids loved it(which was kinda the point, and it gave them something to do ;) ) It was great to walk with my wonderful friends on the team again this year and I have decided to do it as a walking team really only through year five.....the early morning get up is just too insane for this night owl!!!  Sooooo if you want to walk on my team...you only have two years left....after that we are going to become team "Sleep In" & still sign up and raise money but just have a party the night before wearing our shirts and then sleep in instead!!!  Sounds like a brilliant idea to me ;)

Here is once again the iconic look down the street at the throngs of people participating...always makes me catch my breath....




Yep...that's people as far as the eye can see.....

  Have a great week all...

Blog ya later-
K