Too Much Pink

I was going to write about my visit to the plastic surgeon last Wednesday, but that can wait. Two things happened last week that prompted me to write the following instead:


I am aware of it now, more than ever. I see pink everywhere I go. Pink ribbons printed on Virginia license plates, pink metallic ribbons affixed to cars, pink plastic bracelets, pink ribbon jewelry, pink ribbon decorative flags in yards, etc. Every time I see pink, it represents someone who has fought/is fighting breast cancer or someone who knows and supports someone who has fought/is fighting breast cancer. There is too much pink.

When I first started writing this blog, I tried to mention the people I encountered who either personally experienced breast cancer or knew someone who had. One of Bo's customers had it. Another customer lost a sister to the disease. My friend's sister-in-law is battling it. Another friend's neighbor is battling it. My cousin's colleague is battling it. My colleague's wife had it. Two former colleagues from Social Services had it. A teacher from my sons' school had it last year. A young woman, apparently noticing my absence of hair under my now signature ball cap, approached me while I was shopping one afternoon to share her story of breast cancer and to offer her prayers for me. I gave up trying to include all these and the many more references in the blog. There is too much pink.

Last Tuesday, I called my buddy Max, the classmate from The Entrepreneur Source who arranged for the caps with my initials in pink to be passed out to our academy class back in June. I was calling to check in and to ask his guidance with a client. He sounded pleased to hear from me and we spoke briefly about business. He said things have slowed down for him lately and then proceeded to tell me that his wife had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. There is too much pink.

On Friday, I had a touching encounter at Pizza Hut, of all places, and I submitted the story to our local paper which has a very popular feature called "The Last Word." Readers are invited to (anonymously) share their thoughts on any topic. It is quite entertaining and offers interesting insights into others' perspectives on living in the "burg" and life in general. Below is my submission:

"My friend and I were enjoying lunch at Pizza Hut with our three year old sons when one of the waitresses walked over and said, “Someone wants to buy your lunch,” and she pointed out a man who was dining alone. My first reaction was to say that we appreciated the offer but that it wasn’t necessary, and she relayed this message to him. I reconsidered and went over to speak to him. I explained that I have a hard time letting people do nice things for me but that if he wanted to buy us lunch, we would really appreciate it. He said he wanted to do something to help me with “the fight.” (I was wearing a baseball cap with nothing underneath, and he assumed, correctly, that I was undergoing chemotherapy.) He asked about the two boys at the table and said that his grandchildren kept his wife going during her five year fight with breast cancer. He said he was still getting over her loss. I hugged him tight and told him I would keep him in my prayers. He bought our lunch. We were two strangers brought together for a brief, but profound moment by a common thread – breast cancer. He got into a pickup truck without a front license plate (indicating he is not from Virginia), so I don’t think he will ever read this, but I wanted to share the story. Life is full of opportunities to connect with others in simple, brief, but meaningful ways. I thank that gentleman for reaching out and touching my life." There is too much pink.

The American Cancer Society reports that over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in this country. That means that every three minutes, a woman will hear the life-altering words, "You have breast cancer." Over 40,000 women will die this year die from breast cancer. While I have seen various statistics, most frequently cited is that one in nine women will have breast cancer during their lifetime. There is too much pink.

The month of October signifies the arrival of fall and it's traditional palette of reds, yellows, and oranges, but since October is also National Breast Cancer Awareness month, we can expect to see a lot of pink too. The fact that pink represents awareness is a positive thing. There will be a flood of information coming from a multitude of sources, and we will also see many products marketed where proceeds of the sales will benefit breast cancer organizations. The effort is certainly there to wipe out this disease, but until a cure is found, early detection is key. If I could ask you to do just one thing, it would be: Women, please perform your monthly breast exam and schedule regular mammograms. Women and men, please encourage the women you know to take those actions. And iff a woman has a family history, she should consult with an oncologist and a genetic counselor. Let's make pink nothing more than a pretty color!