Yesterday, I went to watch someone else race. Actually, I was late, so I didn't get to see my friend race. But she did finish 2nd - yea, Jen!
The event was the NYC Komen Race for the Cure, and Jen is someone I met running the Komen race in 2008(?). Jennifer and I were up front, running with the other survivors. I was very new to running, and she was new to cancer, being in the middle of chemo. She took off fast (she was not new to running). When I caught up to her, she was fading, ready to stop. I slowed to run with her, offering whatever encouragement I could. I was so impressed that she was running - running - the race. She was bugged that she was so slow; she had been a competitive runner. I tried to convince her that her time didn't matter that day. There would be other days for that. It was enough that she was there. We ran the rest of the race together, alternately encouraging each other.
We emailed a few times, but lost touch. Recently, through Young Survival Coalition and the wonder that is Facebook, we reconnected. (I love these weird circles of connectedness) It's great to see her healthy and doing well - running races & triathlons.
So there I was, watching, not running, the Komen race. And it brought me face to face with all my conflicted feelings about Komen.
Komen has gotten a lot of justifiable bad press in the last couple of years, from in and out of the cancer community. Their legal battles against other cancer non-profits turned many of their supporters away in shame. Some of their corporate partnerships have raised eyebrows. There are questions - legitimate ones - about where their money goes. There is a lack of transparency for their funding. Nowhere on their site can one find what percentage of donations goes to what programs. Does the money go to research? What research? Does the money go to provide free mammograms? Does the money go to programs that support women currently fighting the disease?
Some of the criticism comes from the breast cancer community itself. Many wonder why, if your name is "for the cure", is such a small amount of money raised spent on research? Others would like to see less emphasis on awareness (isn't there enough of that by now?), and more on programs that benefit those who have the disease. But mostly, critics would like more transparency.
Of course, Komen does not stand alone in the ring of legal wrangling. Plenty of big non-profits tie up smaller ones in long legal battles. Some of the biggest and most popular cancer groups do this - just more quietly than Komen. Let's face it, big non-profits are Big Business!
I understand the need to protect one's brand, but these fights do nothing to help the people these groups are claiming to help. Yes, protect your brand, your logo. But really, does anyone own a color - or a common word that many people might use in connection with fighting cancer? While you're busy suing others, you're not helping your cause. You're wasting your attention and our money!
But I said I was conflicted....there's a lot of good, too. There is a strength and power in these large events. Yup, I got teary-eyed.
With all of my reservations about Komen, I cannot deny the sense of community and empowerment felt by the survivors yesterday. For that day, they are not alone fighting their disease. They are backed by 20,000+ people all headed the same direction. They see others in all stages of the fight - newly diagnosed, young, grandmothers, long-term survivors, runners, survivors in wheelchairs being pushed by loved ones. They are not alone. They are fighting and they are raising money. There is power in that action.
And these events are important for the families and friends, as well. Our loved ones suffer along with us - not in the same way as we do - but it is hard on them. They stand by us feeling helpless, and here is this event that let's them do something.
For everyone who has felt encouraged and empowered by one of these big events, I thank Komen.
And I thank Komen for helping to change how we view breast cancer. When I was growing up, breast cancer was still only spoken of in hushed tones. There was such a stigma - against disease in general, but especially breast cancer - breasts, my god! Women often felt guilty, that they somehow were letting their husbands and families down. It's reported that when Nancy Reagan woke up from surgery, her first words to Ronald were, "I'm so sorry." But some very tough women tried to change all that - Betty Ford, Happy Rockefeller, and many others. Komen was part of that change. Komen helped lead us into a world where we can all be as open, public, or private about our disease as we choose. Into a world where it's a disease, it's not our fault. Into a world where we don't have to apologize to anyone because we don't have breasts.
I am a beneficiary of this. Thank you, Komen - and all the women who came before me and refused to sit quietly in hiding!
For all the good, thank you, Komen. But there's the conflict: I don't deny all of that good. I just want more.
Julie
The event was the NYC Komen Race for the Cure, and Jen is someone I met running the Komen race in 2008(?). Jennifer and I were up front, running with the other survivors. I was very new to running, and she was new to cancer, being in the middle of chemo. She took off fast (she was not new to running). When I caught up to her, she was fading, ready to stop. I slowed to run with her, offering whatever encouragement I could. I was so impressed that she was running - running - the race. She was bugged that she was so slow; she had been a competitive runner. I tried to convince her that her time didn't matter that day. There would be other days for that. It was enough that she was there. We ran the rest of the race together, alternately encouraging each other.We emailed a few times, but lost touch. Recently, through Young Survival Coalition and the wonder that is Facebook, we reconnected. (I love these weird circles of connectedness) It's great to see her healthy and doing well - running races & triathlons.
So there I was, watching, not running, the Komen race. And it brought me face to face with all my conflicted feelings about Komen.
Komen has gotten a lot of justifiable bad press in the last couple of years, from in and out of the cancer community. Their legal battles against other cancer non-profits turned many of their supporters away in shame. Some of their corporate partnerships have raised eyebrows. There are questions - legitimate ones - about where their money goes. There is a lack of transparency for their funding. Nowhere on their site can one find what percentage of donations goes to what programs. Does the money go to research? What research? Does the money go to provide free mammograms? Does the money go to programs that support women currently fighting the disease?
Some of the criticism comes from the breast cancer community itself. Many wonder why, if your name is "for the cure", is such a small amount of money raised spent on research? Others would like to see less emphasis on awareness (isn't there enough of that by now?), and more on programs that benefit those who have the disease. But mostly, critics would like more transparency.
Of course, Komen does not stand alone in the ring of legal wrangling. Plenty of big non-profits tie up smaller ones in long legal battles. Some of the biggest and most popular cancer groups do this - just more quietly than Komen. Let's face it, big non-profits are Big Business!
I understand the need to protect one's brand, but these fights do nothing to help the people these groups are claiming to help. Yes, protect your brand, your logo. But really, does anyone own a color - or a common word that many people might use in connection with fighting cancer? While you're busy suing others, you're not helping your cause. You're wasting your attention and our money!
But I said I was conflicted....there's a lot of good, too. There is a strength and power in these large events. Yup, I got teary-eyed.
With all of my reservations about Komen, I cannot deny the sense of community and empowerment felt by the survivors yesterday. For that day, they are not alone fighting their disease. They are backed by 20,000+ people all headed the same direction. They see others in all stages of the fight - newly diagnosed, young, grandmothers, long-term survivors, runners, survivors in wheelchairs being pushed by loved ones. They are not alone. They are fighting and they are raising money. There is power in that action.
And these events are important for the families and friends, as well. Our loved ones suffer along with us - not in the same way as we do - but it is hard on them. They stand by us feeling helpless, and here is this event that let's them do something.
For everyone who has felt encouraged and empowered by one of these big events, I thank Komen.
And I thank Komen for helping to change how we view breast cancer. When I was growing up, breast cancer was still only spoken of in hushed tones. There was such a stigma - against disease in general, but especially breast cancer - breasts, my god! Women often felt guilty, that they somehow were letting their husbands and families down. It's reported that when Nancy Reagan woke up from surgery, her first words to Ronald were, "I'm so sorry." But some very tough women tried to change all that - Betty Ford, Happy Rockefeller, and many others. Komen was part of that change. Komen helped lead us into a world where we can all be as open, public, or private about our disease as we choose. Into a world where it's a disease, it's not our fault. Into a world where we don't have to apologize to anyone because we don't have breasts.
I am a beneficiary of this. Thank you, Komen - and all the women who came before me and refused to sit quietly in hiding!
For all the good, thank you, Komen. But there's the conflict: I don't deny all of that good. I just want more.
Julie
1 comment:
Excellent posting. A race surely becomes a metaphor for fighting cancer and hopefully recovery.
I also have mixed feelings about Komen. It has unsavory practices, but I still remember the elation I felt as a new survivor, walking the first race and running the next year....all with a community of others touched by breast cancer.
Post a Comment