Breast Cancer Envy

Breast cancer is a horrible disease. It threatens, and sometimes takes, lives. It alters the way a woman feels about herself and her own body. For this reason, it is recommended that women over forty start getting regular mammograms every year or two.

Billions of dollars every year are spent on education, research and prevention of breast cancer.

Kids in the high school where I teach sport "Save the boobies" wrist bands with the support of the administration.

There are organizations that will take your long hair, and use it to create wigs for women who are undergoing chemotherapy.

And every year comes the advent of breast cancer awareness month.

Today, M is participating in a breast cancer walk. A walk that is anticipated to have an attendance of over 5,000 people (it ended up being closer to 5,500!).

There are many wonderful events and campaigns that raise money for breast cancer research. I even remember nearly an entire season of General Hospital dedicated to breast cancer. During the season, the son of the breast cancer victim points out that while AIDS has turned out to be a popular charity, breast cancer kills many more people yearly.

Everyone wants to cure breast cancer. Do you think the victims of breast cancer are going to settle for better treatments? NO! They want a CURE! And I don't blame them.

But lets go back just a minute here. AJ Quartermaine, while breast cancer kills more people annually than AIDS, diabetes kills more people annually than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

While everyone seems to understand what breast cancer is, nearly 100% of the people I meet don't really understand what diabetes is. This includes some medical professionals.

We have diabetes walks. But the JDRF walk I attended last month, in the same community as M's breast cancer walk, had maybe 100 participants. MAYBE.

And, while General Hospital dedicated a lengthy, comprehensive, and detailed story line to breast cancer, what do we in the diabetic community get? Oliver, on Hannah Montana, is diagnosed with diabetes one day. Then we never see his bg meter again. Apparently Oliver is all better, and his daily management would not fit well into such a pop tween sitcom.

Finally, I am tired of people thinking that insulin is "good enough". Do you think that breast cancer patients think that mastectomies are "good enough"? I assure you, they do not.

Diabetics are expected to endure their illnesses, simply because it isn't "in your face". People can manage diabetes without you even noticing, so things must be good enough, right?

Nope.

Not even close.

Diabetes must be managed every minute of every day. It's like taking exams in class every day, except that not doing well could result in death.

Death.

We must need a better marketing team for diabetes. Maybe diabetics and their families are so busy handling the day-to-day struggles, that they don't have time to advocate for others with the disease.

Why does the public not seem to take diabetes seriously?

A nurse who goes to my church may have explained it best. She was commenting on another parishioner who routinely works very hard and volunteers regularly. But she, at times, pushes herself too hard, and doesn't take care of herself. The woman is diabetic.

One day, the nurse approached her and scolded her to take a break during our Christmas fair. Then she turned to me and said, "You know what they call diabetes, don't you? 'The silent killer'."

Well I, for one, am not going to remain "silent" any longer.

Good luck ladies!