Every October is Breast Cancer awareness month. We see Pink everywhere on almost every product, from yogurt tops to the socks of pro-football players on the field. While not nearly the only type of cancer, it is definitely the most publicized form of cancer that there is. But does Publicity cure? Hardly.

Many companies also donate “ portions” of the proceeds of the sales of those products  to bring more awareness to breast cancer.   “Every year, people spend millions of dollars on items with pink ribbons on them – all because consumers have been led to believe that their purchases will help end the breast cancer epidemic. This is not necessarily the case. Companies know that aligning themselves with “breast cancer awareness” will improve the public’s perception of them and increase their profits. Often, people think, “between a regular product and one that has a pink ribbon on it, I’ll choose the pink ribbon product so at least some of my purchase goes to breast cancer research”. (http://thinkbeforeyoupink.org/?page_id=36)  Other products that donate to the cause also help to prolong the  problem, for instance Yoplait that has the “pink lid campaign” uses  milk that includes the hormone rBGH. “rBGH is an artificial hormone given to cows to make them produce more milk. It’s been linked to breast cancer and other health problems.” http://thinkbeforeyoupink.org/?page_id=2 We have seen over the years how much Awareness there is about breast cancer, and each year the number of Pink products seems to expand on the shelves. In many cases the women who have breast cancer would rather see more work done to bring about a cure vs bringing more awareness. “Awareness’ does very little to bring about a cure, My first year after ( my ) diagnosis; everything I owned, everything I wore, was covered in pink ribbons, including my car.  I was on a mission to save every other woman like me blindsided by this crippling, deforming life altering killer disease. If it was pink I bought it!  A walk,  a run I supported it! I soon learned The Pink Ribbon does not always mean  HELP, SUPPORT, RESEARCH, it in fact mostly means  BREAST CANCER AWARENESS.”   (Quote provided by  a 5 yr survivor/fighter of breast cancer Cathi Helm)

In order to bring a true sense of awareness to where your funds are actually going when you buy pink to support breast cancer awareness. Keep in mind that there are some key things to make sure of before buying for the sake of the cause.  Check out the website “ Thinkbeforeyoupink.org as it has a great list of questions you can ask before you decide on what Pink products to purchase.  Because in any case showing your support is great for helping any cause but it’s almost always better when you are informed.