Well, this week was certainly a roller coaster! Thank you, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, for opening our eyes to what's really going on in your world of pink power suits, hidden agendas, and abuse of donor funds.
I know, I know...the fine ladies at Komen have reversed their decision to refuse funding to Planned Parenthood. All is now fine in the world and pink ribbons are back in style...but not in my world.
This week has taught me a lot about Komen for the Cure and what the organization does with its donor funds. A short list includes:
- Filing lawsuits against any charitable organization that uses the words, "For the Cure." "Aids for the Cure," you're screwed. Why? Because the pink sorority sisters fear the words "For the Cure" are confusing to donors. Yep, if we're donating to "Aids for the Cure," we've somehow been duped into thinking we donated to "Susan G. Komen for the Cure." You know...because we can't read or differentiate the stark contrast between a red ribbon and a pink one. Total lawsuit expenditure: approximately $1,000,000.
- A huge salary to Komen's CEO, Nancy Brinker. Yes, my friends, we are funding her annual salary of $489,000 per year.
- Komen refuses to acknowledge there is a link between BPA and cancer despite extensive scientific research to validate this relationship. Why? Komen isn't saying, but it is worth noting one of the organization's largest donors manufactures products that rely on BPA. Ironic, isn't it?
- With her annual salary that is just a few bucks shy of a half a million dollars a year, Nancy Brinker provides significant donations to the Republican party, and, even served as an ambassador to Hungary during Bush 43's administration. So, put two and two together. Your donations are funding Brinker's salary, and, she's donating to politics with the salary you're funding. Cha-ching!
I'm sure you're wondering why I care. Well, let's begin with my mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 53.
The day my mother received her diagnosis, my sisters and I accompanied her to the doctor's office so we could all receive the news together. After learning what the next two years of our mother's life would be like, the next step was our induction into the "Breast Cancer Club". Our entry prize? A pink ribbon pin...at least it wasn't flimsy and made of ribbon...it was Avon's version of a pink metal pin - strong enough to endure the elements as we wore our pins on our winter coats in the snow, attached them to our purses on nights out, etc.
People often say, "But Komen has made breast cancer so easy to treat." Sure...if your version of a walk in the park includes nine rounds of grueling chemotherapy administered through a surgically implanted pump in the chest, losing every hair on your body, a mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery, and blood-filled drainage tubes attached to your body to collect the drippings released from lymph node removals and that pleasant mastectomy, then hey - you've got it made when it comes to breezily beating breast cancer! Don't forget about those two pesky pulmonary embolisms my mother experienced and the lung condition B.O.O.P. chemotherapy left her with. How could I forget?!
And of course, there is my friend Weezy (her real name is Louise, but, I don't think I've ever called her that once in my life). Weezy is my age, and, had breast cancer once a few years back. At that time, Weezy was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer - an easy cure - hooray! Well, faster than you can say, "remission," Weezy developed a second, different form of breast cancer. This time, the mood wasn't as festive. Weezy's cancer was Stage IV (terminal), and, she now deals with indignities such as fighting the FDA to approve the drug that is keeping her alive for the purpose for which it has been prescribed...to keep Weezy alive.
Ever since my mother's breast cancer diagnosis, my family has gone to great lengths to contribute to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We thought we were paying it forward; we thought we were supporting my mother. We've walked down at the art museum, and, my dad even shaved his head bald once as a dare - if he reached his fundraising goal for his walk at the Jersey Shore, he promised to shave his head bald. So, donate we did, and, off went Dad's hair. Whenever any of my friends have participated in a Komen walk, run, what have you, I have always whipped out my checkbook without giving it a second thought. No more.
It's become clear Komen has veered terribly off course. A promise that was made to a dying 36 year old to rid the world of breast cancer has turned into a marketing phenomenon. Who could forget Komen's partnership with Yoplait yogurt to raise funds "for the cure." For every Yoplait yogurt top a donor mailed in, 10 cents were donated to Komen for the Cure, though the postage cost for doing so was 37 cents at the time. Don't forget the cost of that yogurt you had to buy to obtain your contribution worthy lids!
In short, I feel duped. I made these donations because I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was supporting women like my mother and Weezy in their fight against breast cancer. Instead, I was contributing to a political machine dedicated to only funding programs members of the far right approved of. I'm mad, I'm upset, and, I'm hurt. No more.
This week, I made my first donation online to Planned Parenthood. Thankfully, the public's common sense took over in this instance, and, before Komen pathetically apologized for the error of their ways, the American public came through and gave Planned Parenthood the funds they were denied on Tuesday. So, now Planned Parenthood will benefit from a double whammy - they have our donations, and, they'll soon be receiving Komen's as well. Planned Parenthood was the clear winner in this debacle.
But what about Komen's stand on stem cell research? Well, it seems Komen executive Karen Handel has it covered. Though Handel is not a physician or a scientist, she evidently knows more than researchers at Johns Hopkins University and doesn't see the benefit of embryonic stem cell research. In Handel's mind, stem cell donations from living adults are sufficient enough.
So, when I see Facebook statuses asking if it is safe to wear pink again, my answer is a profound, "no." Komen's derailment extends far beyond the events of this week, and, it's actually a blessing this most recent PR nightmare occurred, as it encouraged many women, like me, to conduct further research into the organization.
Going forward, all of my cancer related donations will be headed towards the American Cancer Society. You can donate too here.
For your viewing pleasure, I've attached two videos to support my de-funding of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I beg of you to preview them.
The first is a trailer of the upcoming feature film, Pink Ribbons. This film is aimed to give viewers a sneak peak of what really goes on behind the scenes of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Next up is a video by Linda, a breast cancer warrior who bares all to show the world what breast cancer "is and is not." It's tough to watch, but hang in there; the last line is classic.
God bless every woman battling this horrendous disease.
