October was the month to recognize (and support) Breast Cancer Awareness. We saw a lot of pink showing that support – big burly football players in their cute pink cleats, pink towels, tennis shoes, arm bands – you name it, pink was the color of choice everywhere, in sports, other venues and on the street.

True, we need to be made aware of the devastation of breast (as well as other forms of) cancer, but one wonders just how much was spent on “pink“? Ribbons, flags, banners; all the items that were used (sold) to make us aware cost a lot of money. For instance, the shoes that football players use – they aren’t cheap, and that includes ones that have pink enhancements. And, helmets; a good helmet is probably in the $100 range. I wonder how much a team would spend to outfit all the 40+ players with new pink helmets!

In short, the manufacturers of pink products, whether expensive helmets or cheap $1 ribbons, have made a killing with this. I haven’t seen any statistics as to how much, if any, of those proceeds went to cancer detection, research or treatment.

I, of all people, am not critical of cancer awareness. My wife & my daughter (both shown in the panel on the right), my mother, a brother, several girlfriends and other classmates – a lot of people close to me – have lost their lives due to the effects of cancer. I know that most of them could not have been helped by the current “awareness” drive. But those today who are or will be diagnosed can benefit from more intense research of and seeking cures for cancer. Just one team’s expenditure of $5-8 thousand, and the multi-million of dollars made through the sales of these pink items could have helped a lot in that research.

If each person in this country would donate just TWO DOLLARS for cancer research, there would be over half a Billion dollars available! That would serve much better than a dollar ribbon. A prestigious place where you can donate is “StandUp2Cancer.org” or here’s a site that will help you find other similar organizations: Cancer Fund Raising.

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There is another aspect in the search for a cure to (the many forms of) cancer that I will address in a future article — the one of how and what kind of research is being done by private & public organizations and drug companies. You might be surprised!