Breast Cancer, In Honor of Those

I decided to write a post, for my Professor Luz Calvo in honor for her courageous battle with breast cancer, and for the many who have successfully recovered from this horrible disease, those who are currently facing it, and those who know of women with it, and those who have died from it. Upon taking the class Women of Color, Ethnic Studies 3730 at Cal State East Bay,
I felt I have learned so much about what women face, ranging from culture barriers, sexual violence, patriarchy, heteronormativity, cultural barriers and struggles, reproductive justice, health disparity, political forces for women of sexual abuse and violence such as Sista II Sista, as the list goes on. Breast cancer is definitely on topic that hits home, as many women are faced with this horrible disease.

Upon reading "Rock Paper Swords" blogspot, I was very inspired by her 2/11/07 post. She was in an uproar about breast cancer -- the pink ribbon that is supposed to represent breast cancer, which in a way is going by societal standards that pink is for girls, blue is for boys. Nonetheless, a good point is made that breast cancer is like a "feel good social cause" and how it's used as marketing to sell items. It's so true that items from yogurt to tennis rackets to t-shirts - are advertised for the cause of breast cancer, but a marketing ploy to get more people to buy from companies. Rock Paper Swords .. what she says is powerful!! "Here's what breast cancer looks like: it looks like thin, sickly women, their bodies ravaged by chemotherapy, bald, with dark circles around their eyes, delirious from the effects of painkillers. It looks like children mourning the death of their mothers. It looks like shivering, and months of crippling nausea. It looks like buying the thickest socks you can find because chemotherapy makes you fucking cold. It looks like hospital beds and morphine drips and giving up. " http://rockpaperswords.blogspot.com/2007/02/fuck-cancer.html

I wish that there could be a cure today for breast cancer. We do need to let the public be aware that women die from breast cancer, and it's not a cancer that is prettier than others based on how it's publicized and covered up with pink. At the same note, bring more awareness and funds to research for the cure aids, as numbers show that the mortality rates have dropped. Women need to learn how to do the monthly self exam breast checks, get mammograms. The sooner the diagnosis, the higher the chance to cure.