Saturday, September 17, 2011

Respost from Dancing with cancer-think before you pink questions

 this list originally generated from www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org

 

1. How much money from your purchase actually goes toward breast cancer? Is the amount clearly stated on the package?

When the package does state the amount of the donation, is that amount enough? Fox Home Entertainment, for example, sold “DVDs for the Cure” for $14.95 and donated 50 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Is this a significant contribution, or a piddly amount? You decide. If you can’t tell how much money is being donated, or if you don’t think it’s enough, give directly to the organization instead.

2. What is the maximum amount that will be donated?

Many companies place a cap on the amount of money that will be donated. For example, Give Hope Jeans, sold by White House Black Market for $88, donated “net proceeds” from the sale to the organization Living Beyond Breast Cancer. But they’ve capped their contributions at $200,000. This means that once they had reached the $200,000 limit they stopped contributing, no matter how many pairs of jeans were purchased.
In some cases, that cap is a generous amount. In some cases it’s not. But you should know that, whenever there is a cap, your individual purchase may not contribute anything to the cause, depending on when you shop and whether the cap has already been met.

3. How are the funds being raised?

Does making the purchase ensure a contribution to the cause? Or do you, the shopper, have to jump through hoops to make sure the money gets where it’s supposed to go? Lean Cuisine, for example, had a pink ribbon on its boxes of frozen meals, but the purchase of the meal did not result in a donation to a breast cancer organization. Instead, consumers had to visit the Lean Cuisine web site and buy a pink Lean Cuisine lunch tote. Only then would $5 of the tote purchase be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

4. To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?

Does the product’s package tell you where the money goes and what will be done with it? For example, Penn is selling pink tennis balls and the package states that 15 cents of your purchase will go to “a Breast Cancer Research Organization.” It doesn’t tell you which organization or what kind of research will be done. Will the money go to fund the same studies that have been ongoing for decades (which already get enormous financial support)? Or will it go to under-funded, innovative research into the causes of breast cancer?
If the donation is going to breast cancer services, is it reaching the people most in need, in the most effective way? The Breast Cancer Site store, for example, donates money to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, which helps pay for mammograms for women who cannot afford them. But mammograms are already covered for low-income women through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program. Although this screening program does have limitations, what is most needed is the funding to get low-income women treatment if breast cancer is found. Click here to learn more about this issue.

5. What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?

Many companies that raise funds for breast cancer also make products that are linked to the disease. Breast Cancer Action calls these companies “pinkwashers.” BMW, for example, gives $1 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure each time you test-drive one of their cars, even though pollutants found in car exhaust are linked to breast cancer. Many cosmetics companies whose products contain chemicals linked to breast cancer also sell their items for the cause.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Companies run rampant with pink products for breast cancer awareness.

Let me ask you people, who hasn't heard of cancer?  Who hasn't heard of known someone with breast cancer.  Even if you have no relatives or friends that have it or had it, you have surely heard of a famous actress with breast cancer.  Or some famous actor, singer, athlete with some form of cancer.  Some forms that are rare even.  I have written before about my rage at companies supposedly raising money for awareness.  Awareness has been achieved!!!  A cure needs to be found.  At the risk of sounding like a paranoid comspiracy threorist, I must say that there is  no benefit to drug companies, or doctors to ever find a cure for any of the cancers out there.  There best bet is for us to stay sick and continue to come up with a treatment.  Now now, I know that you are saying, I have a friend who beat cancer.  LIAR.  You have a friend who is in remission and will see their oncologist for the rest of their life every 3-6 months to monitor their cell counts to make sure they are still in remission.  Once you have had cancer your odds having it reoccur are phenomenally high.  It is depressing. People live with a false sense of security when they are finished with treatment and are told they are cancer free.  Wait for it, wait for it.... the end of that sentence should be, "you are cancer free, for now.  I'll see you in 3 m months and every 3 months forever" 

A really wonderful lady with metastatic breast cancer has a blog called 'Dancing with cancer; living with mets, a new normal"  It is a truly inspiring blog.  Written eloquently and honestly by a woman who is trying desperately to live a normal and beautiful life with this disease.  She has truly achieved an awe inspiring way of life.  In her post today she wrote about the issue of "cancer awareness"  I was going to post her list here, but I really think that the framework of seeing it on her site will make a difference in how your perceive it.  So instead I will link you to her site.

http://jillscancerjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/pinkification-of-october-arrives-early.html?showComment=1316210674639#c7266544347894647424

This will take you directly to todays post.  You will enjoy her wit. 


Have a terrific weekend people,

Leslie

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Autumn-pleasures

Ahhh, here it is on the verge of being Autumn.  I love this time of year.  When the sky is muted, there is a chill in the air and the leaves dance through the air on their way down from the trees.  The crunch the leaves make when you go for a walk.  Not to mention the smells in the air.  Fireplaces start to get a bit more use, and jackets and sweaters come out of storage.  This year, with the cancer patient haircut (baldy) being my new fashion statement I am going to be trying to figure out how to make it a trendy look.  Maybe perfectly healthy people will go out and shave their heads so that they can look like me.  Laugh!!  When I figure out the whole new bald as a style look, I will snap pics and share it with you.

The urge to wear warmer clothes is in full force. Aside from my life as a woman with mets breast cancer, I have other interests as well.  One of them is thrift stores.  You can find so much useful junk there.  My advice is to make sure you clean everything in a big way.  If you buy shoes make sure that you lysol the insoles, and use cleaning wipes to clean the exterior.  If you like to buy things that look vintage you shouldn't have any trouble finding stuff like that at a thrift store.  You do need to pick through things pretty thoroughly though.  Wash any clothing you purchase right away and do it on a delicate cycle.  When you go to these stores you can haggle.  They want to sell the stuff right?  Don't be afraid to make an offer for less than they are asking.  The worst thing that can happen is they say no.  It is totally worth the try.  If you live in or near Dallas the Buffalo exchange is a great thrift store to check out.  I'd love for you to put in the comments what stores you recommend in your area.

On the cancer front, I am doing pretty good for 4 days out from my last treatment.  Tiredness and a bit of achy pain.  I can't complain about it.  Over all I am doing pretty good.  Two more days till I get to have my third treatment for this set of treatments.  Big fun!  See, you can have fun a live fun while dealing with cancer. 

Thank you for reading what I love to do for autumn entertainment.  Feel free to share what you love as well.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The changing of the seasons

I am ready for the changing of the seasons.  It is beyond warm in the Dallas Fort worth area of Texas.  But there is that hint of cool waiting around the corner.  When you are having hot flashes from taking Famera, you really wish that the heat would go away. Autumn has always been my favorite season.  I love the way that the leaves change colors and fall off of the trees.  It smells so good in the air.  Hearing the crunch of the leaves underfoot when you go for walks. don't you just love it when people start to decorate for the season? 

Trodelvy trial failed.