The Tutu Project

Writing for this blog affects me. That’s why I disappear for months together. That’s why I try to stay away from it for a while. But then, along comes a story that I just have to write about, that I want to make sure my readers also see.

The Tutu Project is what brings me back to my blog now. A man in pink shorts and a pink tutu, photographing himself in the US and some other countries, to raise a laugh and money for breast cancer organisations. What inspired him? His wife who is fighting breast cancer.

Bob Carey, who’s a photographer, is selling the pictures in book form. He says the project helped his wife Linda and him cope with the situation. He writes about his wife on his site www.thetutuproject.com  ‘During these past nine years, I’ve been in awe of her power, her beauty, and her spirit. Oddly enough, her cancer has taught us that life is good, dealing with it can be hard, and sometimes the very best thing—no, the only thing—we can do to face another day is to laugh at ourselves, and share a laugh with others.’

Says Linda, “It gave us something to focus on that was fun.”

The two also feel the book will give hope to other cancer patients.

See his images. Share a laugh.

Evelyn Lauder, creator of the pink ribbon, passes away

The news didn’t receive much mention from the press here. Evelyn Lauder, credited with creating the pink ribbon, a symbol of breast cancer awareness, passed away on November 12, 2011. Sadly, she died of complications from another kind of cancer that happens to women, ovarian cancer.

Lauder created the pink ribbon in 1992. The daughter-in-law of Estee Lauder, who created the eponymous cosmetics company, Lauder and her husband began their campaign for breast cancer awareness by financing the bows given to women at department stores’ make up counters, to remind them of breast examinations. Their campaign grew and led to the designation of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the US, and the foundation by Lauder, of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The Independent, UK, quotes her recalling the early days of the campaign, saying there was no publicity about breast cancer but a “confluence of events – the pink ribbon, the colour, the press, partnering with Elizabeth Hurley, having Estée Lauder as an advertiser in magazines and persuading so many of my friends who are health and beauty editors to do stories about breast health – got people talking."
The report mentions that three years after the first pink ribbon was distributed, she said, a flight attendant noted one on Lauder's lapel and said, "I know that's for breast cancer."
Lauder said: "From there, it became ubiquitous."

The cause has lost an activist. But I, for one, am sure that Lauder must have inspired many women to go out there and work for it. Her message about being aware remains alive in the form of the pink ribbon and her work. Let’s continue it and get people talking.

Rope of solidarity

In 2008, about 100 breast cancer survivors, their kin and a few mountaineers went on the ‘Rope of solidarity’ climb on Mount Breithorn in Switzerland. They decided to climb the 4,000 m mountain to symbolize that fighting breast cancer is like climbing a mountain, an obstacle, but it can be overcome with the support of others.
This year a 100 women participated in the second climb on September 17, 18.

Seeing Erin Kramp again

Yesterday, September 7, marked 11 years since my sister passed away.

Last night on Oprah, I again saw another remarkable woman who battled this disease and lost. Erin Kramp was 36 when she passed away. She left behind hundreds of tapes in which she spoke to her then six-year-old daughter. All the subjects she wanted to talk to her about, but wouldn’t be there in person to do. From how to wear make up to finding a husband, she spoke about everything she could think of.

Her daughter has grown up and was on the show talking about the tapes.

Only once during the tapes Erin was seen crying. In her last message, she spoke to everyone who supported her. She also said that she wants to be remembered. Live every moment in urgency, she said.

With this blog, I have my ups and downs. There are days when I wonder whether this is enough. There are days when I know I don’t have the courage to do more, so I stick to my words and use them to make people aware.

As in everything, awareness is the key to the fight. If one is aware, one is prepared for the battle.

I still dread the reactions I get when I wear the pink ribbon through October. I always I assume there is so much being written and talked about through the media about breast cancer, that people know about it. And every year I am proved wrong with the reactions to the pink ribbon. That’s when I know many people still have to be made aware.

On the surface it looks simple. I just have to blog. But to me it’s not just a post each time. To me it’s reliving many painful moments even if it’s something like choosing a subject. It’s painful and scary to continue to read about cancer, especially breast cancer. All day yesterday I thought about my sister. None of my friends remember the date. I didn’t talk to anyone about her. But then, seeing Erin again on the date she passed away, makes me take something like that as a sign and go on. Experiences like those make me want to go on with whatever I am doing. Be it just using words.

May be someone somewhere will benefit through my words here. I have to write for that person.

Breast cancer can be caused by a virus

The issue of Reader’s Digest in November has an article in which new research says cancer can be caught, like a virus.

Dr James Holland of Mount Sinai School of Medicine has found that the human breast cancer is connected to domestic mice which harbour the mouse mammary tumour virus. Dr Thomas Stewart of the University of Ottawa has created a map of the distribution of breast cancer around the world. Where these mice are common, so was breast cancer. Dr Holland is struggling to prove that women are infected with the virus before they develop breast cancer.

Fascinating. Another cause of breast cancer.

It is interesting what new research finds all the time. The point is, we want it to lead to a cure. As long as we go closer to a cure, let the research continue. Let’s find a cure.

Pink ribbon vs pink chaddi

Last year, scores of pink chaddis were sent to protest the actions of Pramod Muthalik of Sri Ram Sene, whose party members beat up girls who had gone to a pub as ‘it is not the Indian culture’ etc. After a group of youngsters asked others to send pink underwear to the party’s office as a form of protest, many were sent from all across India. I didn’t send any for I felt he didn’t even deserve this much attention.

For the past five years I have worn a pink ribbon through October for international breast cancer awareness month. I am still asked what it is for. When the pink chaddi campaign was going on, I couldn’t help but wonder how people latched on to it while many are not aware of the pink ribbon, something that has been used for years as a symbol for a disease.

I am even asked if the pink ribbon I wear is for AIDS. That also shocks me, as for years the red ribbon has been used for that cause, and is always in our face from posters and TV ads. That’s why people spending money just to send pink chaddis to some man sitting in Karnataka annoyed me. Why can’t someone send a pink ribbon for an awareness campaign?

I want whoever has read this, to send a pink ribbon to a woman they love, with the following message. And please follow it up.

The pink ribbon is the international symbol for breast cancer awareness

Early detection is still the surest way of completely treating breast cancer.

I want you to go for a mammogram and a physical check up.

Because I care about you.

It's October

I have been unable to blog as my father suffered a stroke.
It’s been 10 years since my sister died and I wanted to do something on the anniversary. But God had other plans.

It’s October. Breast Cancer Awareness Month in many countries. In India too some people will organize events for awareness. Anything to make people notice this dreaded disease and take preventive action.

There’s a lot one can do. Firstly, if you’re a woman above age 30, go for a mammogram and a physical examination! You could also wear a pink ribbon, and tell people to be aware. You could put up simple posters in your housing society telling people about the disease and put up the contact numbers of the nearest mammography clinic. One doesn’t need to organize a big event for awareness.

Or simply, tell a friend, make him/ her aware.