PINK

In the coloring book of life, color me PINK !!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. 

This means there's a whole lotta pink.  Everywhere. 
Pink ribbons plastered on facebook, hospital walls, yogurt lids, cupcakes
-- pink, pink, PINK !

Mind you, pink wasn't always one of my favorite colors.  Nope, in my crayola box, the 'pink' crayon remained like a soldier in his place, bright and shiny tip, from non-use.

My chemo treatment was in full swing when the pink blanket of October 2007 arrived.  Those damn pink ribbons were everywhere --taunting me.  I couldn't escape.  Hey Mr. and Mrs. Corporate America, how 'bout you just donate money to cancer research -- makes a difference if we all save ten yogurt lids and mail them to you?

Now? Bubble gum pink ribbons ... go ahead, bring 'em on!  Pink is the proud battle garment for all women fighting breast cancer.  Pink should be a reminder to you, your sister, your mom, your daughter, your wife, your girlfriend, that early dectection is our best defense in battling the beast. 

Breast cancer gets the press = gets the donation buck = gets the research.  All cancers suck.  In recognition of the other cancers:

White:  Lung
Yellow:  Bone
Sky Blue:  Colon
Jade:  Liver
Purple:  Pancreatic
Periwinkle:  Esophageal
Orange:  Leukemia
Gray:  Brain
Teal:  Ovarian
Violet:  Hodgkins Lymphoma
Gold:  Childhood Cancer 

While helping a woman at the hospital this week, she pointed to the hospital's Breast Cancer Awareness banner, "I need to make an appointment, but those mammograms really hurt."

I touched her arm and looked her in the eye, "My friend, honestly, I know first hand, mammograms don't hurt as much as a year of chemo treatment and recovery."