Aware of The Truth?

        Just last weekend Wilmette hosted a 5k breast cancer awareness run at Gilson park. Pink was all around and ribbons covered everyone's tee shirt. People support these walks to feel good about donating to a cause of such a perceivably deadly disease. In a 1997 survey when asked what the leading cause of death in women was, 44% responded breast cancer (Jamieson). If I had partaken in the survey, I probably would have answered the same thing. To my surprise, however, the perception that breast cancer kills more women than any other disease is incorrect. 

If fact, heart disease is nine times as likely to kill a women. The book Unspun points out this misconception that many hold, and explains. It claims that though ironic, "breast cancer gets so much attention partly because so many women survive it"(Jamieson, 91). Not only is heart disease fatal to nine times as many women as breast cancer, but other diseases such as lung cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and stroke, kill more than breast cancer. 

When there are so many survivors, there are more people who try to advocate for the prevention and thereby raise awareness. It should be noted that I am not, in any way, trying to simplify the fatalities of breast cancer, because it is such a terrible disease. But I would make the argument that make the argument that breast cancer is way more publicized than other medical conditions which should receive equal, if not more, awareness. 

It was so eye opening, to me, to read that breast cancer wasn't the number one cause (nor was it close) of death in women. I think that like many Americans, I have gotten myself caught up in being charitable to the one cause, and never really gave a second thought to other causes that deserve as much attention. I would also make the claim that many Americans don't really question the facts behind such touchy subjects, and therefore never really receive the whole story when they think they do. No one would want to hold up a breast cancer awareness walk to say that they should also raise awareness for heart disease! While the survival rate of breast cancer was a pleasant surprise, I think the awareness and funds that its advocates have raised need to be similarly reflected in the advocacies of other diseases as well, so more people can survive these in the long run.