The Battle of Breast Cancer + a Playlist
Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm
Artwork by Subtle Illustration and Design, a graphic designer and illustrator with a mission of ‘empowering babes in business and life.’
The image of a warrior in battle fits many scenarios. Achilles against the Trojan prince. Fauci against Covid-19. Arya Stark against the Night King. All mothers during childbirth. But with this month being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, front of mind are those fighting breast cancer.
It is a violent and uncomfortable battle, in which your body is at war inside you; you are the warrior. On the daily, you rise, you fight. You get treatment that makes you vomit and lose your hair and feel like shit. You are poked and prodded. Sometimes you have to battle insurance companies. It is far more akin to Joan of Arc and Imperator Furiosa than to pink ribbons.
It is also cruelly common. It is the second-most common cancer in U.S. women after skin cancer, according to cancer.org. One in eight U.S. women will get breast cancer. Men also get it, though more rarely (1 in 883 men). There are many survivors, which is beautiful. But there are also those who fall. Roughly 42,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2020 from breast cancer. And as if they don’t have enough to contend with, Black women are at higher risk. According to a report on the CDC website, Black women are more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, perhaps because it was more likely to be found at an earlier stage among white women.
Further complicating matters this year is Covid-19. With the pandemic, cancer screenings were temporarily shuttered in some places and decreased or delayed in others. Scientists expect a significant increase in avoidable cancer-related deaths this year, according to The Lancet Oncology.
When Breast Cancer Awareness Month was created in 1985, its main goals were to increase awareness of the disease, raise funds for research, and promote mammography as the most effective weapon. The infamous pink ribbon was added to the cause in 1991, when the Susan G. Komen Foundation handed out pink ribbons at a breast cancer survivor race. Then in 1993, Evelyn Lauder of Estée Lauder founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation with the pink ribbon as its symbol.
Through the years, the three main goals have remained steadfast: awareness, funding, mammograms. The cause has been a marketing success, with the symbol of pink now widespread and synonymous with the fight against breast cancer. Then critiques came, with findings on many pink-themed products barely supporting breast cancer. Pinkwashing, a term coined by activist group Breast Cancer Action, is when a brand promotes pink products for breast cancer awareness, but makes or uses chemicals linked to causing breast cancer. Critics feel the three goals need tweaking for today’s needs. Beyond awareness and individual screenings, systemic change is needed. That means an altered viewpoint and policy change.
So, we fight. As feminist, writer, and activist Audre Lorde wrote in The Cancer Journals,
‘I do not wish my anger and pain and fear about cancer to fossilize into yet another silence, nor to rob me of whatever strength can lie at the core of this experience.’
Lorde ultimately died from breast cancer at age 58. Do not let fear create silence or immobility. Below are some ways to do the work and go forward with full hearts and warrior spirits.
Follow this Advocate:
Ericka Hart is a writer, educator, and breast cancer survivor. She is a powerful and needed voice in the breast cancer awareness landscape. Hart is honest, direct, and incredibly sharp. Follow her on Instagram to continually learn, and share her Breast Cancer Q&A Stories with anyone who needs help.
Read this Book:
Writer Kimiko Tobimatsu wrote a graphic memoir on navigating breast cancer when young, queer, and mixed. Tobimatsu also wrote this powerful essay that is worth your time. Meanwhile, buy the book to support small businesses and innovative authors. Buy it for yourself or for someone you know who has battled cancer.
In addition, it’s always a good idea to buy The Cancer Journals by the phenomenal Audre Lorde. Considered a classic piece of feminist writing, Lorde offers an honest, insightful account of working through her cancer battle.
Donate here:
People need money and power to battle breast cancer. One way of helping, always, is donating. Here are some places to start:
Black Women's Health Imperative is an organization focused on advancing healthcare for Black women.
National LGBT Cancer Network supports LGBTQ+ cancer patients and survivors.
GoFundMe: Skip large organizations and donate directly to people in need of some help. Read their stories, help carry their pain. Search ‘breast cancer’ on GoFundMe and you’ll get over 150,000 results. Add a location to narrow your search. Go from there and make a difference, all from your phone.
Act Now:
Touch your tits and get a mammogram! The best way to know if something is off with your breasts is by knowing them. Know how they feel and what they look like. And as always, get a mammogram if you’re 40+ years old OR if breast cancer runs in your family.
