Weekly Round Up: The MBC Awareness Day Edition

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girl_with_lassoTime for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just leave a comment below.

Today, Sunday October 13th, is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day – a form of advanced breast cancer (also referred to as stage IV breast cancer) which occurs when breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body.  Anne Marie reminds us it’s “the single day in the midst of the pink haze that we pause to acknowledge the fact that breast cancer, once it metastasizes, is a different disease…Let’s take a break from the pink mania and pause to remember those who have died, those who are quite ill and those who live with this disease each and every day.”

Nancy echoes this on her blog  by pointing out that “many troubling shortcomings regarding the “pinking” of October have been exposed, but perhaps the most glaring failure of all has been the consistent disregard, yes even shunning, of the metastatic breast cancer community. ” Ironically today has also been declared National No Bra Day – and the sheer crassness of the campaign has left Philippa astounded.

Enter The Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance,  formed by 15 cancer charities and advocacy groups with the aim of  transforming and improving the lives of women and men living with metastatic breast cancer.  One of its member blogs features a heartfelt and moving account of losing a beloved wife to the disease by David Imondi.

I dread October. I change the TV channel when all the pink ribbon commercials come on. I understand why my wife hated pink ribbons. There was nothing pretty or delicate about the disease that ravaged and killed her at age 47.

Pinktober inevitably dominates the blogosphere again this week.  Read What’s the big deal with pink? on the Searching For EMWA blog; Jen’s guest post on Telling Knots; the folly of the Doritos breast cancer campaign on A Time For Such A Word , and two great posts by Yvonne – booby-trapped this October? and the pink ribbon that made a blogger out of me. Meanwhile the Cancer Curmudgeon is unequivocal on how the pink ribbon symbol does not speak for her and Scorchy, in a picture tells a story, tells of her boycott of Pinktober. While acknowledging the Pinktober backlash, Victoria nevertheless agree to be pinked for her own good reasons to walk in the Odyssea march against breast cancer.

Elsewhere in the blogosphere… 

Elizabeth has been to a wedding.
Interesting post from Chris on how celebrities deal with cancer.
Lori shares some life-changing lessons she learned at the Commonweal Cancer Help Program.
Diane has undergone her reconstruction, while Sarah is exploring her options.
Good advice for those diagnosed with the BRCA gene mutation from Linda.
Molly links the changing seasons to the seasons of her own breast cancer year.
Debbie shares her anxiety over some recent tests and expresses her appreciation for the support she received online.
And finally this week I leave you with a quote from Nicole’s blog – something to think about as we enter a new week.
Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.

Yours with love

Marie xxx

Category : Metastatic Breast Cancer, Round-Up
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