DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – The many documented cases of breast cancer awareness pink ribbon misuse -- known as "Pinkwashing" -- continue to feed the spirit of the "Pinktober Grinch."
A South Florida breast cancer survivor said "the desecration" of the pink ribbon is not only wrong, but it is disrespectful to those who have died of breast cancer. Another said that associating it with "sexy," "cute" and "girly" images is hurting awareness, because the disease is ugly.
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Lisa Grey, 45, of Delray Beach, agrees. She has lost many friends, who were fellow survivors. Not all of them had advanced cancer. Some were diagnosed early, and believed they were in remission, when the cancer came back to kill them.
"Survivors are always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's an on-going wait," Grey said. "We try not to dwell on it. But the wolf is always at the door.
"There's nothing pink and pretty about that wolf."
Grey is one of the many survivors, who said they despised the instances when irresponsible entrepreneurs linked the pink ribbon to products with ingredients suspected of causing cancer. In turn, the donations they were getting were not contributing to the researching of such chemicals.
"It's a vicious circle ... there is barely any research being done to show the effects of xenoestrogens – ingredients that act like estrogens in the body - on the development of breast cancer," Grey said.
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In the seven years since she was diagnosed, she said she has seen "cancer-contributing" products slapped with a pink ribbon and sold to an unsuspecting public during the month of October.
"The pink ribbons give the general public the false sense that they are doing something to 'cure' us. But no one questions where their donation is going," Grey said.
In 2007, Grey was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer; the highest stage is a 4. She had surgery to remove her two breasts and underwent chemotherapy. And she takes as many precautions as she can -- including staying vigilant about her exposure to toxic chemicals that may have contributed to causing the cancer.
Education on chemicals to avoid to stay healthy is important, Grey said. A good example of how much this is lacking is the American Cancer Society's "Look Good, Feel Better" program, which helps patients with a make-up lesson and a gift bag. Grey loves the concept, but she believes organizers should seek out donors of natural beauty products.
From anger to frustration, breast cancer survivors said they hope their message is not one of bitterness, but of raising awareness on the exploitation of people's good will. Gray said pink ribbon supporters do things out of the goodness of their hearts. The culprit is ignorance.
"Don't even get me started on all the beauty products containing parabens and artificial chemicals," Grey said. "We're rubbing toxic lotions and antiperspirants on our bodies every day, and we don't know it."
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