Friday, October 19, 2012

pinkenomics of lung cancer funding

One of the most curious side effects since my diagnosis of lung cancer has been increased vision and awareness. To be sure, a quarter century of spouse caregiving for my wife with Multiple Sclerosis has unquestionably given me tunnel vision but since that damn spot appeared, somehow … I can see clearly now.

Before I saw products on grocery shelves in October painted in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now if look closely I notice some products actually donate money and some are just colored pink. Could they just be colored pink for profit?
I buy bottled water under the ‘whatever is less expensive’ principle of economics and Acadia met those standards while shopping the other night. Examining the pink packaging I discovered nowhere is there any mention of donated proceeds or even of breast cancer awareness.

Even more curious after a little Googling was to read news coverage from Mid-Atlantic and New England States of multiple Breast Cancer Walks curiously mentioning thousands of participants “drank from bottles of Acadia spring water with special pink labels”. Obviously least expensive and pink labels gets a lot of free marketing in October.  

Grocery shopping in October is obviously driven by pinkenomics, with the exception of Trick or Treat candy. Pink displays abound promoting one product or brand or another; yet, has anyone noticed any in-store awareness information or facts about breast cancer - or just pink food coloring?

From a guy’s perspective while the world paints itself pink for a month … LUNG CANCER kills more mothers, wives, and daughters each year than breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer combined - what am I missing here?

Patrick Leer
BLOGS:
Caregivingly Yours, MS Caregiver @ http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/

2 comments:

  1. It's all about the boobs, dude...and really good politics. It drives a lot of us crazy out here in Cancerland.

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    1. Hey Ruth! Wearing my black baseball cap with white lettering 'lung cancer survivor' yesterday, a young lady did a double take and asked me "shouldn't your hat be pink?" (sigh)

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