IZBU about the commercialisation of Cancer?

[IamtheZombie]

The most recent offender is the Macmillan Christmas Star campaign.

If any of Zombie's family or friends do anything even remotely resembling this she will come back to haunt them.

Ah zombie, how are you doing?

I agree yanbu. I lost a relative to cancer this year and they'd be spitting feathers if I did any trite campaign stuff

I've not seen it, what is it?

I dont see anything wrong with it. Basically you donate a £5 by text or phonecall and they send you a cardboard star photoframe to hang on the xmas tree. My mum died of a very aggressive cancer last year and mcmillan were very helpful. Its just a way of raising money.

Its just a way of raising money.

That doesn't mean there aren't other and better ways of doing so. This sort of campaign just happens to bother Zombie. Having said that, it is difficult not to become a bit prickly about such things when one has incurable cancer.

Those who want to remember Zombie when she has gone can display a small photo of her year round. Zombies aren't just for Christmas.

There is a lot of material out there about this, specifically the pink ribbon campaign, and how there is a lot more money to be made (broadly speaking, I mean - not necessarily that there is a conspiracy, although some believe that - mostly prepper etc) from TREATING breast cancer than eradicating it.

There's also this - Pink Ribbon Inc which talks about the commercialisation of it, and it was turned into a documentary as well.

You know I agree with you Zombie! Having said that, here in Edinburgh you can donate for a light to be put on the big tree in Charlotte Sq in aid of St Colomba's hospice. My friend's DH died at 30 and doing this comforts her at what will always be a horrible time of year for her.
Work raised a lot of money when I was off dealing with the cancer, and although I don't like the pinkification, I was touched by their thoughts. I preferred all the frozen meals they contributed though!

izbu???

Is Zombie being UR - and no she's not!

Agree with Zombie. I also had cancer although I was lucky enough to be cured. I thought Macmillan were shit and had no time for all the fucking pinkathons and ribbon thrusters. I give money to the wonderful hospice that looked after my friend and that's it. I refuse to fund the adverting campaigns, corporate back-slapping and glossy brochures of what passes for a cancer charity these days.

I have had cancer too. I think the Macmillan star is much less offensive than flipping pink ribbons but I'd rather just make donations to CRUK. My lovely mum's photo is on display all year as is my aunty's but I think they would like the idea of hanging on the tree too. I think people will pay for the stars and while it won't 'raise awareness' (who isn't aware of cancer) it will probably raise money and there are worse charities.

YABU for talking about yourself in 3rd person.

Anything that raises money for cancer research is good, in my opinion. It's rife in my family and I'd like for better treatment to be available when I inevitably get it, or my children do.

ZINBU

I'm ok with the adverts now, but when my mum was in her last stages and the first months after she died, if I saw one of those fucking pink fairy winged adverts I'd turn into an angry, bawling mess.

My mum wasn't losing a battle, it's not that she didn't 'fight' hard enough, she wouldn't have survived through the power of positive thought, and she'd have still fucking died even if I'd have got together with 'the girls' and baked fucking cupcakes or ran around a fucking field wearing a tutu!

Actually turns out, I'm still angry at these adverts.

How are you doing at the moment Zombie?

It's rife in my family and I'd like for better treatment to be available when I inevitably get it, or my children do

If it's rife in your family, then please get yourself referred to your local genetics service. They can help you to access screening if there is a rogue gene at work.

And in my (admittedly extreme) cynicism, I don't even see the point of raising money for CRUK when most of the new treatments they fund are not available to NHS patients anyway.

ZINBU

YY to 'the battle' Until. My Dad 'fought' it like a lion, doesn't make a damn bit of difference.

Plus, it implies if you're not feeling brave in the face of cancer your chances are less.

goodnightdarthvader here

Thank you for posting the line yama, I've often wondered but didn't like to ask.

ZINBU and I think everyone deals with things in different ways. My Dad had bastard MS as well as bastard cancer and I have a star that I bought from an MS collection one year and 'Dad's star' goes on my tree every year. This was from a long time ago though, before every charity did something similar.

Zombie

ZINBU

There is always a problem when charities get big enough that they start to put serious money into future fund raising...so fund raising to fund fund raising...rather than fund raising to fund research.

I think this borderline is being pushed by some cancer charities now...they are becoming companies that need to spend on advertising and raising their profile etc.

I don't think that is okay.

ZINBU, I hope this Christmas is as lovely as it can be for you Z. Do you eat turkey brains at christmas or put on a bit of a spread of all kinds?

ZINBU

the commercialization of cancer gets worse every year. It also serves to perpetuate (which I think pp alluded to) the really unhelpful 'warrior' narrative of the disease (not that cancer, or even breast cancer, is one disease even!)

I've not been impressed with macmillan - mum was diagnosed with secondary/terminal breast cancer this time last year (we sat in the bloody consultant's room on Christmas fucking eve for that one) and she died in August. We saw the Macmillan nurse maybe 4 times and the hospice were far more useful. I used to wind mum up by doing the faux sympathetic head tilt.

The girlyfication of all the fund raising makes me feel a bit weird as well. I'm really not a pink sparkle person and neither was mum. I'm a woman, can't I do grown up woman things without being all twee?

Thanks for your concerns, pps, but my mum's been tested for the BRCA genes and she doesn't have it. Hospital have concluded I'm moderate to high risk so will have yearly mammograms from the age of 40.

On this topic, whilst I agree in general. I actually think its OK.

Its only £5 and it will make them a lot of money, and you know what some people might actually like it?

however the breast cancer ribbons can just FUCK RIGHT OFF
breast cancer is not a fucking pretty pink ribbon

agh, you cant polish a turd

Oh, I never seen anyone name their own AIBU. From mnow on I shall post I001BU

But how will they use that money, stopfuckingshoutingatme?

Macmillan don't fund research. They fund their nurses for a limited period (3 years IZRC) after which someone else has to fund them. Their website is a valuable resource but it doesn't cost millions to maintain.

For those who have asked, Zombie is doing well at the moment. She had a liver resection 5 weeks ago and they were able to remove all the visible tumours (plus her gall bladder while they were poking around in her abdomen). Surgeons have cleared her to re-start chemo as liver has completely regenerated. She sees her oncologist tomorrow and hopes to leave that appointment with a pre-Christmas chemo appointment.

"CassieBear*, Zombie will eat what her SIL puts in front of her. This will include vast amounts of champagne.

If anyone gives me a tin of M&S shortbread in a Macmillan fundraising tin, I shall hit them with it. I can do without being reminded of what I have when I am eating biscuits!