Walkin' ain't gonna cure breast cancer
Aug. 15th, 2008 12:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jayfurrThis past weekend the Chicago Breast Cancer 3-Day was held. A participant, Judy Gehrels, thereafter posted the following commentary to the "Share Your Story" section of the Breast Cancer 3-Day message boards. I couldn't have said it better myself, so I'm sharing it here with her permission.
Having just completed walking 60 +/-miles in 3 Days,with hundreds of emotional moments and sound bites replaying in my mind, the one that resounds loudest was sitting on the concrete steps, adjacent to the Michigan Ave sidewalk, East of Randolph, at Millennium Park (Chicago) - less than 2 miles from FINISH LINE!!
Walking past him, as approximately #1200 out of 2400 walkers, "he" sat there shaking his head "no" (side to side) repeating this chant: "Walking ain't gonna cure breast cancer"...
Over and over...
"Walkin' ain't gonna cure breast cancer"...
(shaking head no, no, no - looking you square in the eye)
"Walking ain't gonna cure breast cancer"...
Over and over he shook his head and repeated his chant...
Not being able to stand it any longer, and in my most intelligent of replies (kind and compassionate too) I retorted "well walking is doing a lot more than you are just sitting there, buddy."
Did I REALLY just say that?
Yep, now THAT was an intelligent, educational, and enlightening reply.
The day before, Day 2, thousands were walking -a mammoth SEA of Pink:
BOOBs on sun visors, BOOBS of various NAMES written all over shirts: "Titty-titty Bang Bang", "Boob-i-licious", "Happy Hooters", "Boob Supporters", "Itty-BItty-Titty-Committee", etc.
There were PINK ribbons, PINK hats, PINK boas, male cops in PINK shirts directing traffic, it was a virtual PINK FEST and a lady approaches the gal I was striding with at the time and asks: "what is the walk for??
Stopping her stride, and looking at her with daggers, my friend replied: "are you frikkin' kidding me? (pregnant pause)? for real? (another pregnant pause) It's for BREAST CANCER! BREAST CANCER!"
Curious lady scurried away looking much like a roach running for it's life when the light flips on. (ouch)
There's something about being a cancer survivor (like my articulate friend) or co-survivor or best-friend-forever of a breast cancer survivor- that makes one sensitive or passionate (both, actually) about this disease. Hmm, could be the "life and death" factor...or the possibility that our children could grow up motherless that surely makes us a tad sensitive...
And we who are possessed with the spirit of advocacy, of awareness of the need to fight in a compassionate army - and battle in a war for healthy bodies - we PRESUME people "get" us.
get "pink"
get "it"
But the realities are this:
1) Pink is a color
2) Pink will not cure breast cancer
--wearing pink on our head, pink bra over our clothes, pink ribbons pinned all over our bodies while walking and passing out breast health information and sharing the importance of early detection - does NOT cure breast cancer NOR does it mean just because it matters to me that it matters to the rest of the world...
Which brings us to walking...
--"walking" in and of itself truly WILL NOT cure breast cancer. As much as it troubled me what the smart-butt guy said - "walking ain't gonna cure breast cancer" - he was right...
... but walking in the midst of a compassionate army - makes the army feel stronger, and less alone in the battle
...but walking through sleepy or vibrant communities generates curiosity and curiosity often breeds awareness and awareness results in more people understanding that EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES, which also raises awareness of the need for regularly performing BSE 's , which create people who want to DO something because either THEY have breast cancer, or someone they adore does - which converts a previously- complacent-lalalala lady walking into the neighborhood drug store into someone who wants to DO SOMETHING, to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the world, which turns them into active warriors to fight in this army, raise vital funds for investment in research that we believe will one day SOON - not only find THE CURE, but will find the CAUSE of cancer - breast cancer - all cancers.
Until no one has to ask what all the pink people are walking for...
Until no one has to say "walkin' ain't gonna cure breast cancer"... for the only reason that BREAST CANCER WILL NO LONGER EXIST IN THE PRESENT BUT WILL ONLY BE FOUND IN A HISTORY BOOK - until THAT TIME...
...we walk
... in pink.
Judy Gehrels
Chicago walker 07, 08 -amazing just amazing...
Having just completed walking 60 +/-miles in 3 Days,with hundreds of emotional moments and sound bites replaying in my mind, the one that resounds loudest was sitting on the concrete steps, adjacent to the Michigan Ave sidewalk, East of Randolph, at Millennium Park (Chicago) - less than 2 miles from FINISH LINE!!
Walking past him, as approximately #1200 out of 2400 walkers, "he" sat there shaking his head "no" (side to side) repeating this chant: "Walking ain't gonna cure breast cancer"...
Over and over...
"Walkin' ain't gonna cure breast cancer"...
(shaking head no, no, no - looking you square in the eye)
"Walking ain't gonna cure breast cancer"...
Over and over he shook his head and repeated his chant...
Not being able to stand it any longer, and in my most intelligent of replies (kind and compassionate too) I retorted "well walking is doing a lot more than you are just sitting there, buddy."
Did I REALLY just say that?
Yep, now THAT was an intelligent, educational, and enlightening reply.
The day before, Day 2, thousands were walking -a mammoth SEA of Pink:
BOOBs on sun visors, BOOBS of various NAMES written all over shirts: "Titty-titty Bang Bang", "Boob-i-licious", "Happy Hooters", "Boob Supporters", "Itty-BItty-Titty-Committee", etc.
There were PINK ribbons, PINK hats, PINK boas, male cops in PINK shirts directing traffic, it was a virtual PINK FEST and a lady approaches the gal I was striding with at the time and asks: "what is the walk for??
Stopping her stride, and looking at her with daggers, my friend replied: "are you frikkin' kidding me? (pregnant pause)? for real? (another pregnant pause) It's for BREAST CANCER! BREAST CANCER!"
Curious lady scurried away looking much like a roach running for it's life when the light flips on. (ouch)
There's something about being a cancer survivor (like my articulate friend) or co-survivor or best-friend-forever of a breast cancer survivor- that makes one sensitive or passionate (both, actually) about this disease. Hmm, could be the "life and death" factor...or the possibility that our children could grow up motherless that surely makes us a tad sensitive...
And we who are possessed with the spirit of advocacy, of awareness of the need to fight in a compassionate army - and battle in a war for healthy bodies - we PRESUME people "get" us.
get "pink"
get "it"
But the realities are this:
1) Pink is a color
2) Pink will not cure breast cancer
--wearing pink on our head, pink bra over our clothes, pink ribbons pinned all over our bodies while walking and passing out breast health information and sharing the importance of early detection - does NOT cure breast cancer NOR does it mean just because it matters to me that it matters to the rest of the world...
Which brings us to walking...
--"walking" in and of itself truly WILL NOT cure breast cancer. As much as it troubled me what the smart-butt guy said - "walking ain't gonna cure breast cancer" - he was right...
... but walking in the midst of a compassionate army - makes the army feel stronger, and less alone in the battle
...but walking through sleepy or vibrant communities generates curiosity and curiosity often breeds awareness and awareness results in more people understanding that EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES, which also raises awareness of the need for regularly performing BSE 's , which create people who want to DO something because either THEY have breast cancer, or someone they adore does - which converts a previously- complacent-lalalala lady walking into the neighborhood drug store into someone who wants to DO SOMETHING, to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the world, which turns them into active warriors to fight in this army, raise vital funds for investment in research that we believe will one day SOON - not only find THE CURE, but will find the CAUSE of cancer - breast cancer - all cancers.
Until no one has to ask what all the pink people are walking for...
Until no one has to say "walkin' ain't gonna cure breast cancer"... for the only reason that BREAST CANCER WILL NO LONGER EXIST IN THE PRESENT BUT WILL ONLY BE FOUND IN A HISTORY BOOK - until THAT TIME...
...we walk
... in pink.
Judy Gehrels
Chicago walker 07, 08 -amazing just amazing...
