Being Aware: Its Not All Pink

This was submitted by WAVE reader Jenni R. Brighton, co-founder of The Amethyst Network, a non-profit organization providing resources and support to women experiencing infant loss or miscarriage.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is a fact widely acknowledged in the media and everybody seems to get on board with everything from all-night cancer walks to facebook status games. My grandmother is one of those “1 in 8 women” who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, as are dear family friends, and I have joined those all-night walks and regularly remind my blog-readers to do their self breast exams.

However, October after October, I notice that the flood of awareness is decidedly (and almost exclusively) pink. It seems that we either overlook or are unaware of the many other “Awareness Months” going on in October.

Yes, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. However 1 in 4 women will experience a miscarriage or infant loss, and 1 in 3 will be a victim of domestic violence.

But nobody talks about how October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, or Domestic Violence Awareness Month, even though both of those things are more common than breast cancer. About 1 in 20 women will be diagnosed with Gynecologic Cancers, and while the incidence rate is lower than breast cancer, the mortality rate is higher (over 1/3 do not survive). So shouldn’t we talk about that, since October is also the month of Ovarian Cancer Awareness and Uterine Cancer Awareness?

It’s also Lupus Awareness Month, and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and SIDS Awareness Month, and Down’s Syndrome Awareness Month, and Celiac Disease Awareness Month, and Spina Bifida Awareness Month, but nobody seems to be talking about those either.

For more complete lists, see here or here. There are so many great causes to get involved with; let’s not fixate on just one.

While we’re on this topic, I’d like to put in a brief word about productive activism. I think that Facebook status games do not really raise awareness any more than the Farmville updates do. Think about how you would feel if it were you sitting in chemo: would you be more appreciative of a hand-knit chemo cap from a stranger, or of all your friends posting facebook status updates saying where they put their purses? What if your spouse was beating you? Or if your child had died? Wouldn’t you appreciate real support over passive games?

So I recommend posting a thoughtful (not copied!) message about an important cause. Blog about what matters to you and what you can do (or are doing) to help. Better yet, donate money or goods or time to an organization, and then post about what you did on your blog and share with others.

Are you involved in one of the causes observed in the month of October? What have you done to raise awareness, contribute to the cause or address these important issues impacting women and their families? How have you personally been affected by the October Awareness Month issues? Please share your experiences by commenting below or emailing service@ldswave.org.