A Reminder

As I watched the Giants destroy the Bears on Sunday, I took note of the pink additions to the uniforms on the field. Pink gloves, pink arm bands, pink accents on helmets, and let's not forget about the pink baseball caps on the sidelines.

It's not that I don't think breast cancer awareness is important. It totally is. The NIH estimates that 12.2% of women will be diagnoses with some form of breast cancer at one point in their lives. But.

October is also domestic violence awareness month. And, while it is difficult to determine exact numbers of women who are victims of violence in their own homes, some of the most common statistics used indicate the prevalence of domestic violence is as high as nearly one in every four adult women experiencing at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood. 25% of women in our country. It's shocking, appalling, and sad.

Domestic violence causes death, too, just like breast cancer. But the death count is not what keeps me up at night. It's the count of the women who are alive, breathing, and living in fear in their own homes. It's the children who call 911 from under their covers, afraid of the outcome of the confrontation outside their bedrooms. It's the women who call the shelters, not knowing what to do or who to turn to. It's the women in the ER, making excuses for their bruises and broken bones, lying to medical professionals to protect their families and lives. It's the acceptance in our culture that it's okay to solve arguments using emotional and physical weapons.

So, yes, please continue to support breast cancer awareness. I would ask you to consider a different charity besides the omnipresent Susan G. Komen Foundation that focuses its resources on fundraising and finding a medical cure for cancer without considering prevention, helping women with the costs of medical care, or alternate forms of treatment. This foundation does some good work, but it also spends a huge portion of its budget on fundraising and frankly, there are other good breast cancer awareness charities out there doing better work.

But, also, when you're wearing your ribbons, writing your checks, and walking in those walks, take time to consider other options in October. Millions of women are counting on you.