| OPINION
| OCTOBER 25, 2005
Cancer Consciousness
Take the time to care even if
that’s all you do
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| The Shorthorn: Alex Pierce |
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It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
so let’s all be aware. One, two, three, AWARE!
OK, that doesn’t really work, does it?
I’ve noticed that numbers don’t really work, either.
It’s hard to visualize the 40,000 women who are expected to
die from the disease in 2005, according to http://www.breastcancer.org.
Who are they? What does 40,000 women look like?
It’s somewhat easier to imagine the one out of every eight
women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Look around you
in class, at work or at a family gathering. If there are 50 women
in a lecture hall of 100 students, there’s a good chance that
at least six of those women will one day be diagnosed with breast
cancer.
While the focus of this month is breast cancer, we should take a
moment to note that all forms of cancer are dangerous and deserve
serious attention. Almost everyone has been shaken by cancer at
least once. I personally have lost two loved ones and may soon lose
another to cancer.
My aunt died of lung cancer though she had never smoked a single
cigarette. In fact, she was extraordinarily health-conscious. She
was the only person who could get me to eat vegetables as a child
because she grew them herself and put them on the freshest veggie
pizzas I have ever had. The fact that someone like her can get cancer
is a reminder that I, the occasional drinker and the former smoker,
face some major health risks of my own.
But breast cancer awareness is more than knowing your own risks.
It’s terribly easy to forget about the struggle of cancer
when we are not personally facing the disease right this instant.
It’s fairly simple to give yourself an examination, congratulate
yourself on your good health and forget about the larger issue.
But all the while, others are struggling and suffering.
Unfortunately for most of us, it is not in our ability to stop the
suffering of others. At least, we can’t do this on our own.
Many brilliant and talented scientists have dedicated their work
to untying the knot of cancer, and they can always use our support.
Some in this very group have recently found a vaccine that prevented
cervical cancer in 100 percent of test cases.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a great time to dedicate even a
small portion of your income to research funding through groups
such as breastcancer.org or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
You can also participate in walks or races to raise funds or wear
the awareness-promoting pink ribbon. Financial contributions on
any level are easy to make.
Even those of us who are completely strapped for cash can help;
a little sensitivity and caring for others can go a long way. Any
one of us can spare a moment to talk about cancer and acknowledge
the needs of others.
Keeping an open heart for someone who needs a friend can be harder
than writing a check. A person who has cancer experiences extraordinary
physical and emotional pain, and their loved ones are caught between
being strong and supportive and grieving for their own pain. So,
it’s as mere friends and acquaintances that we can offer others
hope just by saying, “I’m here if you need me.”
Though we haven’t found a cure for cancer, we’re not
doomed to suffer, and no one has to suffer alone. Whether you write
a check for research or give someone a big heartfelt hug, you and
your loved ones don’t have to be helpless against this disease.
— Mary Richert is an English senior and a copy editor
for The Shorthorn
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