we can't cure what we don't fund

awareness isn't enough.

It’s October and so the world is awash with pink ribbons. I’ve found myself quietly stepping back from them. I’m still working through what it means to claim a pink ribbon as something personal to me — not just a symbol of support for others, but a reflection of my own story.

When you’re first diagnosed with cancer, there’s an immediate, aggressive confrontation with your own mortality (rather akin to getting dragged over coals by a Mack truck). It left me bruised, bleeding and scrambling for control.

My favorite coping mechanism had always been research: if I can just learn enough, then I can make sense of a senseless situation. But cancer doesn’t work that way. Turns out reading too many articles, research papers or message board comments is only fueled my anxiety. No amount of data could answer the question taking up all the space in my brain: Is this how I die?

Ten months later and my nervous system is a bit steadier. I can hold information about cancer without always feeling crushed by it. And that’s good because I’d like to talk about something that truly matters: breast cancer research.

Research is what saves lives.
It’s what fuels new treatments.
It powers breakthroughs that make former death sentences curable or manageable conditions.

And the pace is accelerating. In the last 5 years the FDA has approved more new breast cancer treatments than in the last 30 years combined. In fact, a promising new drug was just approved a couple weeks ago!

My form of breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer (MBC, also called stage IV), is the only form breast cancer that can actually kill you. It’s generally considered incurable (but my God isn’t interested in what’s generally considered possible, Amen!). Yet only 3-10% of all breast cancer research funding is dedicated to MBC.

Awareness doesn’t make new treatments. Research does.
And we can’t cure what we don’t fund.

Powerhouse organizations like Susan G. Komen only allocate approximately 10% of their donations to research in general — and only a small fraction reaches MBC.

So this October, if you’re thinking about giving, please consider donating to an organization focused on finding a cure for MBC.

• Breast Cancer Research Foundation | BCRF
  MBC is a special focus for them. They are the largest private funder of stage 4 breast cancer research in the world. They are currently funding 86 projects dedicated to this form of the disease.

• Theresa’s Research
  This organization is focused solely on MBC. They are patient founded and stand in the gap between the lab and lived experience.

• METAvivor
  This grassroots organization is also solely focused on MBC. They also build community with peer-to-peer support and advocate for improved federal policy.

Awareness is important.
But research is what gives us a future.