Friday 13 January 2012

Fuck It! Cancer, that is

As I mentioned in an earlier post, when my GP told me I likely had cancer, my reaction was "fuck."  But that isn't the only use of the word with cancer.  A friend recently sent me a link to an article in the Globe & Mail "Dropping the F-bomb on late-stage cancer" about a cancer education charity established by Yael Cohen.  The article says the charity has sold 10,000 "Fuck Cancer" and "F--- Cancer" t-shirts and raised $1 million.

I like the idea of telling cancer where to go.  With apologies to my tender-eared readers: Fuck Cancer!  Even better, is the goal of the charity, which you'll find on its website:

Fuck Cancer is a movement that activates Generation Y to engage with their parents about early detection of cancer. Over 90% of cancers are curable if caught in stage one- why the Fuck don’t more people know this? We’re creating a generation of early detection ambassadors who, by learning about what to do to stay healthy, what to watch out for, and what questions to ask, are taking control of their own health and the health of their parents.

Fuck Cancer is focusing on early warning signs and detection to focus on catching cancer when its curable.  Believe me, I sure wish my cancer had been caught when it was at an earlier stage.  Anything Fuck Cancer can to to help others avoid a cancer diagnosis, or catch it early, is good work indeed.
Check out Fuck Cancer's website to get more educated about various types of cancer.  For most types of cancer, the website offers a cheat sheet and infographic.  For breast cancer, information on self-examination is also there.  You know how I feel about breast exams:
If you want to fuck cancer, check your damn boobs!
If you want your significant other to do the checking, that's fine with me.  Fighting cancer is a team sport.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the introduction to Fuck Cancer! Around my house we say 'fucking cancer' & that was our reaction to my breast cancer diagnosis in Sept 2011. We have been through this with too many friends & family members to have any warm & fuzzy feelings left for cancer! But I like the fact that FC has more going on than telling it where to go ... I will check them out at more length.

    A request for you Kate ... when you put a web link in your blog please set it to 'open in a new window' so it doesn't take us away from your blog, but instead opens beside it.

    ... I am woefully uninformed as to how to do this comment stuff, so will continue to reply as Anonymous until I can figure out how to post a comment as Cathie Green .... Thanks Kate!

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  2. Cathie, thanks for the tip on opening in a new window. I'll try to remember to tick that box each time; I hadn't noticed it before. When I have a chance, I'll go back and fix old posts too.

    If you have a Google or OpenID account, you won't need to post as anonymous.

    ~Kate

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  3. Hi Katherine,

    "Fucking cancer" is what I think of it, too, and it has a liberating effect when I say it out loud. I have friends in their mid-40's and mid-50's who have been diagnosed with the beast. One of them is now at the end of the road, with zero chance of recovery. Being a witness of my friends'despair and not being able to do anything to make them feel better breaks my heart and makes me hate that disease even more. Thank you for telling me about FC as I had no idea such a movement existed. I will certainly visit their website and help support them the best way that I can. I hope to see you again soon, Katherine. We miss you here :) Suzanne M.

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