Gynocentrism Sucks
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Wear a Blue Ribbon
I have decided that I am going to wear a blue ribbon for at least a week....possibly longer, depending upon the response I get. Why? Because it is a disgracefully little known fact that a blue ribbon is the symbol for the fight against prostate cancer much in the same way that a pink ribbon symbolizes the fight against breast cancer.
There are actually quite a few similarities between breast cancer and prostate cancer. Like breast cancer, prostate cancer is a deadly disease and while more women will die of breast cancer this year, more new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in men then breast cancer in women. Ultimately, there is very little difference in the number of lives that will be detrimentally affected by these two diseases. There are, however, significant discrepancies in the attention and funding given to each.
From 'Business Week',
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2007/tc20070612_953676.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_science
This year 218,890 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. By comparison, 178,480 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. Not a huge difference, but a new report finds that for every prostate cancer drug on the market, there are seven used to treat breast cancer, and federal spending on breast cancer research outpaces prostate cancer spending by a ratio of nearly two to one.
The National Prostate Cancer Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, released the report, titled "The Prostate Cancer Gap: A Crisis in Men's Health." It examines what the group calls "glaring disparities"
in awareness, funding, media coverage, and research between prostate and breast cancer, even though prostate cancer is the second-deadliest cancer in men after lung cancer. "Year after year, the prostate cancer community has received less attention and less funding than many other diseases," says Dr. Richard Adkins, chief executive office and vice-chairman of the prostate cancer coalition.'
I see pink ribbons all the time....there's even one on the bag of biscuit dough I have in my freezer and I've no doubt there's at least a handful of other, various household products I have in my home sporting them. Every time I walk in the grocery or drug store, I see a display of products sponsoring breast cancer research.
"Hooray", I say, that we're taking such significant measures to find a cure for this deadly disease....but what of this other deadly disease, this other cancer? What of prostate cancer.....the greatest difference between it and breast cancer being that it affects and ends the lives of men instead of the lives of women? Where are the blue ribbons? Where are the campaigns, the sponsors and the media attention?
This is why I will be wearing a blue ribbon all this week. I tend to be quite conscientious of my attire, so I have no doubt that the appearance of a rather out of place blue ribbon on my jacket will arouse some curiosity, giving me the perfect opportunity to educate.
Additionally, I challenge everyone else to do the same. Pin a blue ribbon to your lapel for a week...arm yourself with a few facts and figures, not only on prostate cancer, but also on the discrepancies in funding, media attention and public concern.
Wear a blue ribbon, not only as a method of activism to spread the word, or as a show of solidarity for those who are suffering or have died from this disease, but also simply to proclaim that the lives of men do matter.
Here is a the website for 'Us Too, International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network', (hat tip to Tyrael at Antimisandry.com) where you can find information, along with some great ideas for activism, donations and fund raising.
http://www.ustoo.org/Default.asp
I appreciate that not everyone has the money to donate and not everyone has the time to organize a fund raiser, but it takes very little time or money to simply fix a blue ribbon to your shirt every morning.
Here are a few facts on prostate cancer to keep in mind,
*Every year over 232,090 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and
about 30,350 die. If detected early, prostate cancer is often treatable
*1 in 6 men is at a lifetime risk of prostate cancer
*A man with one close relative with the disease has double the risk. With two close relatives, his risk is five-fold. With three, the chance is 97%.
*Two men every five minutes are diagnosed with prostate cancer.
*African American males have a prostate cancer incidence rate up to 60% higher than while males and double the mortality (death) rate of white males.
*Every 100 minutes an African American male dies from prostate cancer.
*Men with a body mass index over 32.5 have about a one-third greater risk of dying from prostate cancer than men who are not obese.
*Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American males today
*Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States
*Prostate cancer is mainly found in men age 55 or over with an average age of 70 at the time of diagnosis
*Majority of deaths from prostate cancer are related to advanced disease with metastases
Joel said...
Kim,
I am glad to read your post about wearing a blue ribbon. I wear one every day and will until I die from prostate cancer. I have recurrent prostate cancer which at the moment is under control, but I know unless I get hit by a bus I will die from it.
I have frequently become irritated by the in equality of funding between breast and prostate cancer. 28,000 men will die this year from prostate cancer, it is the second biggest cancer killer among men. We have very few drugs available and the ones we do have have terrible morbidity problems. Among the problems are impotency, incontinence, erectile dysfunction, "chemo brain" etc. The list goes on and it is not the occasional man who suffers, we all do. The toll on our families is horrendous, I often feel that it is actually harder on family than on the survivor.
I am not blind to breast cancer. My very young sister-in-law died from it three years ago leaving three young children and my wife is currently under treatment. But I still feel upset that prostate cancer is so often ignored and classified as not being dangerous. Explain that to the 28,000 who dies this year.
I would urge your readers to go to www.prostatecancerpetition.org and sign a national petition to make prostate cancer a natinal priority. I also recommend that an excellent web page for information about and support groups for both heterosexual and homosexual men dealing with prostate cancer is: www.malecare.org
I write a blog about having advanced and recurrent prostate cancer which can be read at:
www.advancedprostatecancer.net
Kim, I appreciate your discussing prostate cancer. I dream of a time when there will be no cancer.