On Point by Andrew Holota
“Boobies Make Me Smile.”
Those were the words on a sticker I saw the other day.
The sticker was stuck on a T-shirt, over the left breast of a young lass, working at a local commercial business.
I looked.
And then I realized I was looking.
It was one of those completely-clueless-as-to-what-to-do-now man-moments.
As a standard rule, a guy ought not to be looking there. Eyes up, mister!
But she obviously put the sticker there, and it had a message that one just had to read. Which meant I was supposed to look. Right?
I stop looking.
And then I thought, should I inquire as to what this is about? There was some very small print on the sticker, which may have explained what this all meant. But then I’d have to look again. Closely. That absolutely could not be good.
I decided I could not ask, because that would make it obvious I was looking at her boobies. Which according to the sticker, make her smile.
I’m sure there were sparks inside my brain as my synapses short-circuited.
Does.
Not.
Compute.
I completed my transaction, and left in unadulterated confusion.
Anyway, as I later confirmed with some internet research (go ahead, check it yourself, but careful how you Google it, and I wouldn’t advise doing it at work unless you’re writing a column about it) Boobies Make Me Smile is a breast cancer awareness campaign, which is connected to an American mall retail lifestyle store that serves a young demographic, and self-identifies as “irreverent.”
Yes, indeed. It got my attention.
Hardly anyone could be unaware of cancer these days. And maybe that’s why some people feel the topic needs a fresher, different dialogue, even one that may be a bit uncomfortable.
But the facts don’t change:
According to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation website, breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer diagnosis in women in Canada over the age of 20 and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Canadian women, after lung cancer.
* In 2014, it was estimated that 24,400 women and 210 men in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and that 5,000 women and 60 men will die from the disease.
* 1 in 9 women in Canada is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime (by the age of 90)
* 1 in 4 (26%) cancers diagnosed in women in Canada are breast cancer
* 1 in 30 women in Canada will die from breast cancer
* In Canada, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 88%
* Breast cancer mortality rates have decreased by 43% since the peak in 1986
* Breast cancers in younger women who are pre-menopausal are often more aggressive, move quickly to advanced stages, and are less responsive to treatment than those that are found in older women.
* The most effective way to detect breast cancer earlier in average-risk women is regular mammography screening, and personal breast awareness. Women aged 40 to 79 are encouraged to have a routine screen every two years.
While breast cancer is more prevalent in older women, it doesn’t mean you’re safe if you’re under 40, or 30, or even 20.
For more information, visit bccancer.bc.ca, cbcf.org and bccancerfoundation.com. There’s also breast health clinic at the Abbotsford Hospital.
Of course, you can and should talk to your doc, as well.
To the young lady who had the courage to wear that sticker, especially where she did, thanks for making people more aware of breast health.
You made us look.
Smile on…
Andrew Holota is the editor of the Abbotsford News.
