I’ve said in the past that the whole “Pinktober” fad has been visually overblown. That’s not what I meant by writing that headline, because my stance on that hasn’t changed. What I am talking about is the reason behind the nickname.
Say what you will about Breast Cancer Awareness Month having a stranglehold on the public spotlight. (It’s also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but you won’t see anywhere near as much purple as pink). Still, it’s important that we highlight a problem that affects so many people.
I’m thinking, though, that we should all make a stand against cancer this month — any kind of cancer — whether it’s for your community or for your own personal health.
In the big picture, this month will put cancer as high on the list of things that people are thinking about as it’ll be all year. That’s why we’re in a rush to wear pink for only 31 days out of the whole year (although the NFL might want to prioritize purple), and that’s why more money is donated to foundations such as Susan G. Komen in October than in any other month of the year.
On the subject of donating money, I’ll make this quick point: In terms of knowing where our money is going and how it will be used, it’s probably better to donate to local cancer centers or families currently struggling with the problem. I am more confident knowing that my money is immediately being put to good use than I would if I donated to an organization that spends more on marketing and PR than anything else.
On the subject of personal health, I’d like to encourage everyone to either go get checked out or learn how to check yourselves.
Last Thursday night, after shooting photos at the F.I.S.H. Hawks’ football game, I was showering when I noticed an unfamiliar lump in my chest. The next day, it had gotten bigger and a little more tender to the touch. Because I couldn’t see my primary care physician until Monday, I spent the weekend freaking out and devouring every bit of information about, well, anything that I could find on the Internet.
If you find yourself in a situation like that, do not go on the Internet if you don’t want to scare yourself to death.
I think I just jumped to conclusions so quickly because of my family’s history with cancer.
For starters, it killed my mother when I was very young — before I ever got a chance to know her or retain any memories of her. More recently, it killed my grandmother on my father’s side — with whom I was very close — about halfway through my final semester of college. When you have history on both sides of the family, and you find something, it’s not fun.
I got checked out on Monday morning and, to my knowledge, might have overreacted this past weekend. The lump had gotten smaller, and my doctor felt confident it isn’t cancerous. I feel a lot better now but, as of press time, I’m still not sure exactly what the heck is hanging around in my chest.
Man or woman, young or old, I don’t care who or what you are — do yourself a favor and go get checked out soon. You might end up saving your own life.
UPDATE: I had the lump checked out again on Wednesday afternoon, after I filed this column, and the good folks at Plant City Imaging have told me that I have nothing to worry about – it’s just some tissue that, for whatever reason, compacted to form a lump, and it should go back to normal on its own.