I loved Euna Kwon Brossman’s article in the February 4 edition and thought I may have a few thoughts for you. I am not a breast cancer survivor but have walked in four Breast Cancer three-day events so far and am preparing to walk my fifth this fall.
The three-day is an event that raises awareness and a tremendous amount of funds for Susan G. Komen. That event takes place in cities around the U.S. and participants walk 60 miles over the course of three days, sleep in tents, and take showers in tractor trailers. It is an amazing event to raise awareness, and it has a very special vibe all to itself.
I have photos of myself wearing my big pink feather hat, a Save the TaTa’s shirt, and a big pink scarf with boobies on the end. Some people think it may be a little strange, and the scarf borders on totally inappropriate, except when on the three-day! These events are about coming together and joining a fight with hope and most often much humor.
I don’t claim to understand how it feels to be a survivor but I have seen the faces of young mothers walking in the hope of surviving to see their 18-month-old child enter kindergarten. I have talked to parents who lost a 16-year-old daughter to breast cancer, and felt the pain of thousands of people that I had the privilege to walk with in the hope of a cure.
My own three kids come to cheer me on while I walk the 60 miles in their “We Support Boobs” shirts. I think their picture is in more scrap books of three-day participants, and I am proud to see them wear these shirts. There is a time and place for these shirts when the spirit of the event makes them appropriate. My kids are 6, 8, and 9 years old and they know what breast cancer means, but they also know why those shirts are inappropriate to wear at school.
Common sense needs to reign and often people look too much to the shock factor of outfits, T-shirts, or bracelets. When a child wants to wear something that others may think is inappropriate it is a conversation that needs to occur between that child and the parents. I would never let my child wear a breast cancer shirt or bracelet with the intent to shock, be inappropriate, or to gain attention for themselves.
Breast cancer and those fighting that disease deserve much more respect! Awareness is priceless, it can save a life, but awareness is about the disease. Seeking to spread awareness needs to be motivated from within, the reasons must be clear, and respect should be given to all those affected by breast cancer. If a parent suspects the child wants to participate in this awareness for the wrong reasons it is their responsibility to educate and explain.
Don’t let the glamour of acting like Lady Gaga and wearing outrageous things take over the real message. Breast cancer is real and horrible, and without early detection it can rob you of your life and leave your children without a mother. Be respectful of the disease because you never know if one day you will come face to face with it.
Joan Fennell
West Windsor
