I am upset with this whole "Breast Cancer Awareness" campaign and I will tell you why....last month was one?

or what about just '' cancer awareness '' ? get rid of it in both genders and be done with the damn thing.

edit: thanks Luck, it is pass time we rid the effing world of that scourge.

This is one of the toughest things a person can go through in life. I lost my mom when I was 26,, from breast cancer that spread to her ovaries. The only thing harder than losing my mom, was losing one of my children. As tough as this is , you are going to have to be the rock in this situation. If your mom doesn't have a pretty good idea already that she is terminal, you and I both know that she will soon. It may be that she is denying this in an effort to protect you. My mother tried to do that and we really didn't ever say the words dying until about 6 weeks before she passed. She acknowleged it by simply stating that "my body is ruined". She stayed in bed after that and just waited and prayed that the end would come sooner than it did. The one thing that has been a comfort to me was that she did get to see my 3 month old son. I lived with her the final 6 weeks of her life. Although, I to am a nurse, We had visiting nurses from hospice and the cancer society come in and they were a tremendous help to her and myself. They were able to provide some of the intimate care that she really felt more comfortable recieving from these caring nurses. More importantly, it allowed me to spend more of my energy and strength, just listening and asking her questions about her life. I wrote down some of the stories about where she grew up and what her life was like growing up. This provided not only a record of things I wanted to know, but also allowed her to travel to a happier memory than where she was now. I suggest you do that also. I waited until it was almost too late and there were many questions that have gone unanswered, because I waited too long. You are going to have to gather strength from the fact that you have had the blessing of these last several years with your mom. That closeness and the memories you have shared will be what sustaines bothof you through this defficult and sorrowful time. Don't allow the knowlege that her time is short, spoil what you have left. Talk, tell her your dreams for your child and ask her advice about life. It will be a gift to her and yourself in a situation that you and she have little control over. You will make it the best that it can be,I know it. Peace.

You are right it should be "Cancer Awareness" and not limited to one month nor one gender. My mother died of brain cancer suffering from what she and her doctor thought were migraine headaches for nearly a year. After the headache got so bad she went to the emergency room and had an MRI then we knew what it was. Not much has progressed since then (1987) as Ted Kennedy passed with the same cancer. Sure he lived a little longer than my mother's 7 months and perhaps the quality of his remaining months was hopefully better. There is still so little we know. Cancer touches all of us in some way. I'm truly sorry you were not diagnosed until stage 4. I pray that treatment works for you.

I am sorry to hear about your cancer, and i hope you do get better.

You cannot really call it women's cancer awareness, as it would be considered sexist, and men can get breast cancer also, although it is less common.

I totally agree that there should me more emphasis on cancers other than breast cancer, as it does seem to get a lot of media attention. It is the 4th most common form of cancer (behind skin, lung and then prostate) The problem is, cervical cancer is not as common as other forms so it does not get as much emphasis. For now, i wish one small step they could do would be to screen people earlier on. Younger people cannot even request one if they are below the test age in many areas here in the UK.

I'm sorry about your health problems and I know what you mean. Actually, lung cancer kills more women than any other cancer, but you don't see any ribbons for lung cancer. All the marathons and media coverage and fund-raising events etc seem to be for breast cancer. Men also get gypped, like where is the month dedicated to prostate cancer? I think the best way to view it is that efforts for preventing and treating breast cancer, even though they are high-profile, they don't actually subtract anything from efforts for other cancers. Best to channel your energy into a positive effort for what you are affected by. Maybe you could join local fund-raising efforts for cervical cancer, or if there isn't any, help to start one. You could be an inspiration, and your efforts may help other women like you in the future.

Usually cervical cancer can be detected early by yearly Pap screening. Ovarian cancer is much more difficult to detect, but some types have been shown to be associated with the same genetic mutations that lead to breast cancer. I agree that the breast cancer madness avoids other cancer issues, but it also gets women to examine themselves and have the ability to detect it early versus one yearly exam (or less) a the Dr's office.

There isn’t anything to be upset about those women worked hard to make breast cancer awareness what it is. These were everyday women touched by breast cancer in some way and the number is great as it is the number one cancer women get. This is what they felt a passion for. Anyone can do the same thing if they feel as strongly about another disease.

Also the month for prostate cancer is September.

well my Mum's breast cancer was found early and treated but is now in her lungs so the awareness month didnt help her, but I get what you mean and it should be cancer awareness for everyone and all cancers too.

Hope you are ok hun xxx

i lost one of my best friends to anal cancer,she had been misdiagnosed for years and then when they finally found a small tumor growing they said it was to later to operate.....and i don't know but think that is an excellent idea, spend the money and the time for all cancers, there are so many and they all can kill.....

**hugs**

It's ALL about funding and politics and yep, it's highly frustrating. :(