Other News Breast cancer awareness month is a donation month
By A reader
Oct 2, 2008 - 10:06:22 PM
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The
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a very good publicity campaign for
the cancer industry.
At least two things
can be done. First, drive as many people as possible to get screened for the
disease.
Second, collect donations.
Many people appreciate this activity and they are not to blamed.
But few know who are behind the
campaign.
If you go to the website of
the organizer for the campaign, on the "about us" page, there is no way you can learn exactly who are behind the campaign! Why can't they just tell you who
exactly they are!
In a sense, you do not
know what this campaign is really about.
My opinion as I mentioned early is that the National
Breast Cancer Awareness Month just wants people to know the risk of breast
cancer so they are more likely to undergo screening.
To me, the campaign is more about diagnosis
and treatment, but not about prevention. We do not see much about prevention on
the website of the campaign organizer.
I am not saying that diagnosis and treatment are not
important. But prevention is the best!
By prevention I mean prevention of the disease from developing in the
first place.
Indeed, the real prevention
is not to wait for the disease to develop and then to screen it out and treat it.
It seems to me, another purpose of the campaign is to solicit
donations in the name of supporting patients and breast cancer research.
Stores and businesses like doing this because
it will bring in more sales. There is no better way to pursue shoppers to buy
stuff in the name of supporting cancer research and providing patient care.
The media is very cooperative. I cited a few
examples below to make my point.
"My inbox has
been deluged by companies eager to share what they're offering. Here's a
sampling of what I like best (a percentage from each purchase will be donated
to a cancer-related cause):
ChapStick Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Pink Pack, with SPF 15; $3.99 for three balms,
at groceries and drugstores"
"October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
and for the past several months, Foxtrot Style, 1419 Grove St., has sold a
special line of locally designed T-shirts from Think Pink! with the "Save
the Boobs" logo. All proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation."
"For every woman who partakes in the any of these
events, Wacoal is said to be donating $2 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Additionally, if you decide to purchase any of their items, be aware that $2
for each Wacoal, DKNY Underwear or Donna Karen Intimates bra will also be
donated."
I do not know exactly what the recipients of donations
will do. But I do know that taxpayers have already been paying quite a lot in
cancer research.
If I remember
correctly, the federal government has been giving the National Cancer institute
around $20 billion (about $70 per capita) every year for so many years to
conduct cancer research.
Unfortunately,
much of the funding goes for drug research, but not much for prevention.
I have serious doubt that private or corporate
donations collected in this National Breast Cancer Awareness Month or the pink
month would do much of meaningful research at all.
No one is going to do any auditing!
My suggestion is, use your money to take good care of
yourself. There are many things you can do in your life to reduce your risk of
breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a preventable
disease!
In the National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month, start or continue your good lifestyle including a healthy diet
to prevent this scaring disease.
Also do
not forget there are other diseases that are more life-threatening than breast
cancer!