The Soapbox... step up to Rant a bit and Feel Better!
Here's an addendum to my "Look Good feel Better" story from last spring. (It was like being in high school, only instead of the wrong clothes, I had the wrong cancer. The women had introduced themselves by cancer, and everyone but me had breast cancer)
When I spoke with someone at the hospital,to let them know how this made me feel, this is what I heard (this may not have been the way it was meant to come off, but this was my perception of the main points of the conversation):
"I'm sorry you felt that way. The truth is, there are many more women with breast cancer than there are with other cancers."
Not, "I'm sorry you were made to feel awkward, that's awful and should never happen!" but, I'm sorry YOU felt that way.
and the kicker...
"If you have any suggestions about how to prevent this, please contact me."
Hey, didn't I say that when people introduced themselves by their cancer, it made me feel awkward? How about just telling everyone from the start "We're all CANCER survivors, to encourage unity and support for everyone in the group, please tell us about who you are without mentioning the specific type of cancer to the group." (I thought this kind of statement was a no brainer, but apparently I'm not sensitive enough to the needs of the majority.) After all, you represent the American CANCER society, not the American BREAST CANCER society.
Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but honestly, we're going there to "look good, and FEEL BETTER." It's a darn good thing my sense of the absurd kicked in, because it truly was one of the most uncomfortable and alienating experiences I've ever had! (and I was a geek in high school, so I've had more than my share of those!)
It was repeatedly stated that many more suffer from breast cancer than the gynecological cancers. HELLO! Does that mean MY feelings don't count? I ordered some teal toes cards, the next time I'm there, I'm dropping some off on a certain person's executive walnut desk.
Ok, I'm stepping off of the soap box now!
Leesa
Comments
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Wow
I became angry reading your story....shame on them...I feel similar to you. I am so sick of pink. I won't give to breast cancer anymore...I'm wondering what the context of these comments were made? was it a survival support group? The women I meet who have survived breast cancer have been amazing....but I am a little tired of pink....and NO attention to TEAL...NONE.......Next time, I think you should bring/wear a plastic ovary necklace and start to cry..and tell them since you've lost your ovaries, your hormones have gone wild...freak them out a little bit.... In fact, I might design the new ovary necklace.....what do you think?0 -
My 15 year old son saidLisa13Q said:Wow
I became angry reading your story....shame on them...I feel similar to you. I am so sick of pink. I won't give to breast cancer anymore...I'm wondering what the context of these comments were made? was it a survival support group? The women I meet who have survived breast cancer have been amazing....but I am a little tired of pink....and NO attention to TEAL...NONE.......Next time, I think you should bring/wear a plastic ovary necklace and start to cry..and tell them since you've lost your ovaries, your hormones have gone wild...freak them out a little bit.... In fact, I might design the new ovary necklace.....what do you think?
My 15 year old son said maybe we are being "Ovary(Overly) sensitive about our Ovaries and we should make the Breast (Best) of it. Made me laugh anyways.
Lori0 -
Lisa,Lisa13Q said:Wow
I became angry reading your story....shame on them...I feel similar to you. I am so sick of pink. I won't give to breast cancer anymore...I'm wondering what the context of these comments were made? was it a survival support group? The women I meet who have survived breast cancer have been amazing....but I am a little tired of pink....and NO attention to TEAL...NONE.......Next time, I think you should bring/wear a plastic ovary necklace and start to cry..and tell them since you've lost your ovaries, your hormones have gone wild...freak them out a little bit.... In fact, I might design the new ovary necklace.....what do you think?
This was a comment to
Lisa,
This was a comment to the Cancer Society rep who led the Look Good Feel Better program I went to in the spring. All I wanted to point out was that I felt alienated at a time when I should have felt supported. It is a fact that fewer than 500 women were diagnosed w/ ovca in 2006, (I couldn't find more recent stats) and so it is quite likely that we will be the only women with ovca at a given Look good feel better session. But that doesn't mean that our feelings don't count.
I just wanted to make that point. Unfortunately, I feel like the reaction I got was that I was whining, and that I (I wish I could use bold and italics) should be more understanding.
Many women in my life have been stricken by breast cancer...it's also an awful, horrible disease. I don't bear any ill will or hard feelings toward breast cancer survivors. But just because ovarian cancer is rare, doesn't mean that we should be dismissed as less important.
That's how I felt. dismissed and unimportant.
Leesa
PS...I'm not sure I want an ovary around my neck.... but I can totally use the raging hormone excuse!
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Oh LEEEESAleesag said:Lisa,
This was a comment to
Lisa,
This was a comment to the Cancer Society rep who led the Look Good Feel Better program I went to in the spring. All I wanted to point out was that I felt alienated at a time when I should have felt supported. It is a fact that fewer than 500 women were diagnosed w/ ovca in 2006, (I couldn't find more recent stats) and so it is quite likely that we will be the only women with ovca at a given Look good feel better session. But that doesn't mean that our feelings don't count.
I just wanted to make that point. Unfortunately, I feel like the reaction I got was that I was whining, and that I (I wish I could use bold and italics) should be more understanding.
Many women in my life have been stricken by breast cancer...it's also an awful, horrible disease. I don't bear any ill will or hard feelings toward breast cancer survivors. But just because ovarian cancer is rare, doesn't mean that we should be dismissed as less important.
That's how I felt. dismissed and unimportant.
Leesa
PS...I'm not sure I want an ovary around my neck.... but I can totally use the raging hormone excuse!
Your PS made me laugh..I'm still going to work on the necklace.....I think the Cancer Society Lady was remarkably insensitive...and defensive. I'm sorry about that. Especially since it was a Look Good Feel Better program. Sounds like it was more of a look good, feel like KAKA program. I've been to those before. I went to a workshop recently where we had to name what kind of animal we were. I said I was a pigeon...everyone criticized me and wondered about my choice. They were all cheetahs, Chinese crested dogs, and dolphins. When they asked me why, I said I'm not very bright, I eat anything, and I can find my way home.......I have no idea what the moral of this story is, but I think you look great and you are important to me and everyone else on this board!!0 -
From the CDCLisa13Q said:Oh LEEEESA
Your PS made me laugh..I'm still going to work on the necklace.....I think the Cancer Society Lady was remarkably insensitive...and defensive. I'm sorry about that. Especially since it was a Look Good Feel Better program. Sounds like it was more of a look good, feel like KAKA program. I've been to those before. I went to a workshop recently where we had to name what kind of animal we were. I said I was a pigeon...everyone criticized me and wondered about my choice. They were all cheetahs, Chinese crested dogs, and dolphins. When they asked me why, I said I'm not very bright, I eat anything, and I can find my way home.......I have no idea what the moral of this story is, but I think you look great and you are important to me and everyone else on this board!!
Ovarian Cancer Statistics
Among women in the United States, ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death, after lung and bronchus, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.
Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
In 2006, 19,994 women in the U.S. learned they had ovarian cancer, and 14,857 women died from the disease.0 -
Ok..I have to ask...Lisa13Q said:Oh LEEEESA
Your PS made me laugh..I'm still going to work on the necklace.....I think the Cancer Society Lady was remarkably insensitive...and defensive. I'm sorry about that. Especially since it was a Look Good Feel Better program. Sounds like it was more of a look good, feel like KAKA program. I've been to those before. I went to a workshop recently where we had to name what kind of animal we were. I said I was a pigeon...everyone criticized me and wondered about my choice. They were all cheetahs, Chinese crested dogs, and dolphins. When they asked me why, I said I'm not very bright, I eat anything, and I can find my way home.......I have no idea what the moral of this story is, but I think you look great and you are important to me and everyone else on this board!!
Why on EARTH would anyone want to be a chinese crested dog? Those things are BUTT ugly!
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/uglydog.asp
LOL...The chinese crested dog makes my bald head look positively STUNNING!
Leesa0 -
I went to a feel better workshop and this is how I looked whenleesag said:Ok..I have to ask...
Why on EARTH would anyone want to be a chinese crested dog? Those things are BUTT ugly!
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/uglydog.asp
LOL...The chinese crested dog makes my bald head look positively STUNNING!
Leesa
I was done......0 -
Never liked the colour pink anyway!Lisa13Q said:I went to a feel better workshop and this is how I looked when
I was done......
I too am fed up of seeing PINK everywhere and I am like you and I don't give to the collection tins. The people give me such a look but never say anything - I wish they would because I could sure give them a good response. Almost everyone I have spoken to here in the UK did not realise that pink ONLY meant breast cancer and when I explained about teal they were amazed as they had never heard of it!!!
Tinaxx0
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