It’s Pink, But It’s Not Pretty.

Every October pink becomes the dominate color on Facebook, with pro sport teams, and stores selling items that say a portion of the sale goes to fighting breast cancer. Many breast cancer survivors carry a strong dislike for October as the above groups seem to take advantage of the disease that affects 1 in 8 women (Breastcancer.org), and lets not forget men, 1 in 1000 men.

Women will wear pink to support those enduring chemotherapy, and it’s side effects–loose of all one’s hair, continually feeling nauseas, risk of getting sick and stopping chemo treatment, fatigue that never leaves, and/or depression. There’s also radiation, or not, all dependent on the diagnosis and if radiation is needed. I can’t forget the anti-hormonal medication that cause hot flashes, trouble sleeping and more fatigue; all which cause some ladies to stop taking the meds because it’s too much for them to deal with on a daily basis.

Don’t forget surgery. Might be removing of a lump or extreme as bilateral mastectomy–that is both boobs are removed. The decision for the surgery may have to be done within days of diagnosis or several months down the road. Ladies and gentlemen, you don’t understand what it feels like to loose a physical part of your body that identifies you as a women, and everyone looks for to identify what you are; that is unless you have had that surgery. Reconstruction is an option, but there are risks of infection and possible multiple surgeries to get it right and maintain it.

Breast cancer isn’t pretty, instead, it’s painful, there’s lengthy treatment, and not everyone makes it.

Know I hope you understand why breast cancer survivors don’t like Pink-October.

(I know…I’ve been a survivor since 2009)