Why I No Longer Pooh-Pooh the Pink

10/1/2022
 
For many years after my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2000,  I felt the saturation of pink in October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  After collecting pink hats from the Komen Foundation’s Race for the Cure, pink paraphernalia at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and pink ribbons and pens at my annual mammogram, I felt the pink fatigue. 
 
I understand the need to continue to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and treatment.  It’s the most common cancer among women in the U.S.   It’s estimated that this year, 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers, and that in the U.S., 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer over her lifetime.
 
However, I also know that many other types of cancer have not gotten the attention that breast cancer has.  And I have many loved ones and friends who have experienced those cancers.  So I have at times cringed at the attention to breast cancer – and the preponderance of pink in October.
 
And then I got a new breast cancer diagnosis in February of this year (2022).    My experience was quite different from the first time, and I believe it was at least in part due to the research efforts over the years – technology for earlier detection, less invasive surgery, shorter radiation treatment protocols, and tests that indicate likelihood of recurrence and also likely benefit from chemotherapy.  All of those advances, which benefited me directly, are the result of funding and research.   I’m awed by the changes and grateful to the scientists, advocates, and donors.
 
Shortly after my diagnosis, I met with a nurse navigator who recommended three reliable websites for information about breast cancer. 
 
https://breast360.org/
 
https://www.breastcancer.org/
 
https://drsusanloveresearch.org/
 
 
If you or someone you know might need information or support, I encourage you to take a look.
 
 
Now – why am I writing this on my yoga blog? 
 
It might surprise you to learn that less than 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member (parent, sibling, or child) who has had it.  That is important to know!
 
There are lots of other factors that may contribute to creating the conditions for breast cancer to develop. (By the way, based on the size and growth factor of my tumor, the doctors speculated that it had been growing – albeit slowly – for about 9 years.)
 
Lifestyle factors are important, including nutrition, sleep, movement, and stress reduction.
 
Slow, mindful yoga can help with these factors – not only to reduce chances of an occurrence or recurrence, but to help manage the diagnosis, treatment, and healing. There’s a growing body of research on how yoga can support cancer patients and those in recovery and beyond. 
 
Awareness is important.  Knowledge and research are, too.
 
So while I still cringe a bit when I see the pink,  I no longer pooh-pooh it. 
 

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