Haven't you got your breast cancer awareness bracelet yet?
By now you should be familiar with the yellow 'LiveStrong'
rubber cancer awareness bracelets. They were popularized by
seven-time Tour de France cycling champion and cancer survivor
Lance Armstrong. The money from their proceeds goes for cancer
research.
If he has planning to pitchfork cancer awareness into society's
consciousness, Lance Armstrong has done a really good job. His
rubber bracelets are ubiquitous today, an ever present awareness
tool for cancer, and a fund-raising tool for cancer research.
Among cancer awareness bracelets, next to Armstrong's rubber
wristbands come the breast cancer awareness bracelets. However,
unlike the 'LiveStrong' rubber band bracelets, these breast
cancer awareness bracelets come in different colors. The most
popular color for breast cancer awareness bracelets is pink.
But why pink? There is a story behind it: Charlotte Haley, a
68-year-old woman, began making and distributing peach ribbons
in the 1990s with cards that read: "The National Cancer
Institute annual budget is $1.8 billion, only 5 percent goes for
cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America
by wearing this ribbon." Haley's daughter, sister and
grandmother had breast cancer. Self magazine wanted to
use Haley's ribbon but she refused saying they were too
commercial. The magazine came up with another color then --
pink. Focus groups say pink is 'soothing, comforting and
healing.' Soon the pink ribbon became the worldwide symbol for
breast cancer, and Charlotte Haley's peach ribbon was history.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. says that more than
211,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in America in
2005. Of these 43,300 will die. One woman in eight either has or
will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, 1,600
men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 400 will die this
year.
However, the breast cancer awareness bracelets can come in all
colors, a rainbow of them, depending on the organization or
charity selling them. These bracelets usually have some message,
such as 'Support Breast Cancer Research And Education' stamped
on them.
Well, the breast cancer awareness bracelets needn't be made of
rubber or silicone either. The bracelets can be made of pearl,
or cats eye, or metal, or any other suitable material. There are
even stainless steel breast cancer awareness bracelets! The
difference between them is, of course, the price. The rubber
ones would sell for around $1 a piece. The metal ones would sell
higher. Some pearl breast cancer awareness bracelets sell for
around $30 a piece. Such bracelets serve two purposes -- they
are jewelry and also spread the message of charity and breast
cancer research.
The advantage with rubber breast cancer awareness bracelets,
apart from the price, is that they are infinitely customizable.
Yes, you can order them in any color and with any message
stamped on them. You needn't take them off while washing or
playing -- they are all-weather bracelets. And you don't have to
worry about losing them, unlike the pearl or cats eye ones.