Cancer Barbie

I have all the sympathy in the world for little kids with cancer.

Since we've gotten that out of the way, I shall start my tirade. WHY DOES THERE NEED TO BE A BALD BARBIE? Oh right, there doesn't. Little girls shouldn't need a Barbie who looks like them, because, guess what, no one actually looks like Barbie! Shocking, but true.

I don't feel this makes a big contribution to any sort of well-being for these little girls. How about their friends and family make them feel beautiful outside of any references to dolls or external matters? How about we make them feel valuable and beautiful for being who they are and being brave in the face of all this?

Some people on Facebook seem to think this is the best idea in the world, and it seems to be catching on. They also seem to think that nonprofits actually make money on social marketing schemes. News flash, kids: social marketing makes very little money for these nonprofits and much more for the corporation they are "partnered" with. It's greenwashing. How about instead of a cancer barbie Mattel spends that development expense on just GIVING TOYS TO THE KIDS AT ST JUDE'S. How novel. Using a channel that already exists to do good. GO FIGURE.

EDIT: Also, do kids really need to be so focused on being sick all the time? I don't think so. I think the bald barbie idea just brings attention to "oh you're sick, you need a different barbie, not the ones you've always had."

A Central Line

There has been some chatter lately among my PIDD friends about central lines, the pros and cons, etc. A healthy friend saw some of it in the news feed, particularly an xray with a port shown, and sent me a Facebook PM.

"what's that thing in that girls chest? does she have what you have? will you have to get one of those sometime?"

I answered that it is a central line aka a port, and while I don't need one currently, the plan is not to give me one anytime in the forseeable future, but if I need chemo or something, I will probably have one installed. This is true, but it isn't the whole truth.

The whole truth is that I will very likely need one of these, or a picc line at the very least, at some point in my lifetime. A high number of chronically ill people do. With the odds of my getting some form of cancer being pretty good, a port is not far outside the realm of possibility. It scares me, so I don't like to talk about it or think about it. A port means critical illness to me, and I really don't want to have to go there.

Unfortunately, I have some friends who don't have a choice right now and that's really challenging me.

Yet Another Breast Cancer Post

Andrea Mitchell has announced publicly that she has breast cancer. She was kind of flippant about the whole thing, which you can read more about here. The dismissive nature of her message was very odd to me. I certainly hope she's not in some kind of denial about the routine nature of breast cancer (1 in 8 women get it, according to what she said, and then went on to make it sound instantly curable). I think it's dismissive of the pain that women feel when they go through this disease and can make it a more lonely feeling.

I feel very strongly that the conversation on health in this country is so backward. We attach ourselves so closely to outcomes that we can't have the requisite compassion for people. Yes, breast cancer is very curable, but that curative process is very difficult both physically and emotionally. I wish more people recognized that about all illnesses, not just breast cancer.

SPOILER ALERT!

After my previous rant on the subject, I thought for sure I wouldn't get these:

Ok ladies, it's that time of year again, in support of breast cancer awareness!! So we all remember last years game of writing your bra color as your status?.....or the way we like to have our handbag handy? Remember last year so many people took part that it made national news and, the constant updating of status reminded everyone why we're doing this and helped raise awareness!! Do NOT tell any males what the status' mean, keep them guessing!! And please copy and paste (in a message )this to all your female friends to see if we can make a bigger fuss this year than last year!!! I did my part... now YOUR turn ! Go on ladies...and let's have all the males guessing! .. It's time to confuse the men again (not that its really that hard to do :)) Everyone knows it makes their brains work wonders on what we're talkin about!! The idea is to choose the month you were born and the day you were born. Pass this on to the girls only and lets see how far it reaches around. The last one about the bra went round all over the world. So you'll write... I'm (your birth month) weeks and I'm craving (your birth date)!!! as your status. Example: Feb 14th= I'm 2 weeks and craving Choclolate mints!January-1week Febuary-2weeks March-3weeks April4 weeks May-6weeks June-8weeks July-10weeks August-12weeks September-13weeks October-14weeks November-16weeks December-18weeks ..Days of the month: 1-Skittles 2-Starburst 3-Kit-Kat 4-M&M's 5-Galaxy 6-Crunchie 7-Dairy Milk 8-Lollipop 9-Peanut Butter Cups 10-Meat Balls 11-Twizzlers 12-Bubble Gum 13-Hershey's Kisses 14-Chocolate Mints 15-Twix 16-Resse's Fastbreak 17-Fudge 18-Cherry Jello 19-Milkyway 20-Pickels 21-Creme Eggs 22-Skittles 23-Gummy 24-Gummy Worms 25-Strawberry Pop Tarts 26-Starburst 27-Mini Eggs 28-Kit-Kat Chunkie 29-Double Chocolate Chip Chrunchy 30 Rocky Rd 31 Milk Duds

Awww. Did I ruin the "game" and your "fun?" Perhaps you shouldn't send me these things. How about it? Sounds good to me. Yes, I realize I'm a grump. I have my reasons. See post linked above.

Breast Cancer "Awareness"

As I am wont to do, I got in a discussion on Facebook about these silly, cryptic status messages. I am of the opinion that telling your shoe size in inches with a frowny face doesn't actually do anything to promote awareness or show support for breast cancer patients. In fact, I think the whole thing cheapens the experience of cancer.

Cancer sucks, I'm sure. I've never had it, but I have been very sick and have a chronic illness, so I can pretty well imagine that it would suck pretty hard. I've seen people go through chemo and it seems rough. It's not glamorous, it's not easy. I think it would be much better if people took the time to go to a chemo ward and sit with these women going through the worst experience of their lives. Hold their hands, bring them a sandwich. Actually do something meaningful.

It was pointed out to me that some people hide their cancer. I think this is well within their rights. I hid my PIDD for a long time and was reluctant to talk about the serious nature of my illness. I get that people don't want to make people feel sorry for them. That all makes sense to me, especially after having to have a needle biopsy for a lump. I verbally threatened everyone who knew that if I had cancer, they were to never ever lay hands or give to me anything with a pink ribbon. The pink ribbon movement was borne out of a sister's grief, but has taken things to a ridiculous and disrespectful level. You can now get "breast cancer awareness" themed grocery items, kitchen wares, NFL hats, and yes, even fast food. But what does buying these things do for the actual patients? They keep trying to find a cure for cancer.

You know what? I'm going to be really bold here. There is no cure for cancer. There. I said it. Cancer is the overgrowth of your body's own cells. That's what makes it so challenging to treat in the first place. It isn't some sort of virus we just need to figure out. The only way to "cure" it entirely would be to either teach the body to fight these types of cells or to stop cell growth. When your cells stop growing, you die. So I would rather we have a conversation about better, more effective, less invasive treatments for cancer, instead of this constant drumbeat about awareness and a "cure."