Bald and Beautiful Barbie Campaign Movement vs. ACS Blog Post

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Bald and Beautiful Barbie Campaign Movement vs. ACS Blog Post

Posted on January 18, 2012
Bald and Beautiful Barbie Campaign Movement vs. ACS Blog Post

I am sorry that I have been out of pocket, since my last post I had another child. Wow what an adjustment but it has not been as difficult as I expected. I can’t image my life without my two girls.

I wanted to post an article that I read on Layla Grace Foundation, (http://laylagrace.org/news/acs-aloof-on-childhood-cancer/), a Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation that I donate to and follow:

Andrew Becker, Director of Media Relations for the American Cancer Society, let fly a tone-deaf blog post a few days ago regarding the Bald Barbie grass roots campaign that is growing via Facebook. The goal of the campaign is to help women and girls cope with their hair loss during treatment and feel beautiful. In his article he posits that childhood cancer doesn’t need more awareness, what it needs is more donations. One would assume he means donations to the American Cancer Society, unless he advocates fundraising for other charities. I’ll let you make up your mind on that one.

He started off the post by asking who would financially benefit from sale of the dolls, a fair question to ask. The intellectual dishonesty then crept in as he lamented the troubles that too much awareness can bring citing the fear women now have of breast cancer. Then he flew off the rails with this gem “Childhood cancer is exceedingly rare.”

First of all, what qualifies as exceedingly rare? Considering that the author has three children I find that statement to be emotionally disconnected at best. On Wikipedia I would have tagged this as [citation needed]. Secondly, thanks for confirming the ACS’s lack of relevance in this area.

So if I read correctly, we don’t need more awareness for childhood cancer because it is “exceedingly rare” what we need are more donations to the ACS, less than 1% of which will go to childhood cancer? Got it.

I can’t believe that someone of his position at the American Cancer Society and a parent himself would come across so insensitive to such a movement; they should be all over this campaign. If you have the times please support the Beautiful and Bald Barbie campaign on Facebook and please support a Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation to help bring awareness. We can all make the awareness for Pediatric cancer as big as Breast Cancer Awareness.

comments (3)

i support the Beautiful and

Ecomtopx's picture
by Ecomtopx on July 11, 2013
i support the Beautiful and Bald Barbie campaign on Facebook and forum gia su. i support a Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation to help bring awareness

Those of us who are among the

Helen Jonsen's picture
by Helen Jonsen on January 19, 2012

Those of us who are among the 13,000 parents annually who hear the words: "Your child has cancer" are more than disappointed about the ACS point of view.  The Children's Oncology Group's fundraising and awareness. The COG is a consortium of reasearchers and clinicians at major hospitals who put their research together to save kids lives. My daughter benefitted. I am sad that our kids (including mine) work so hard for Relay for Life, not really understanding that only 1% of ACS funds go to Childhood Cancer Research.

Read more here: http://www.workingmother.com/kids-cancer-special-report/2010/8

 

Eight years ago a three year

Rick Taft's picture
by Rick Taft on January 18, 2012
Eight years ago a three year old relative was stricken with cancer. He was a bright, funny kid who could read before he was three. I remember wondering what he would make of himself, looking forward to bragging that I knew him when he was just a little kid. I knew he needed more than a get well card. He needed things to look forward to besides his next treatment. I decided to send him postcards made by Photoshopping my dog Shorty doing crazy things or hybrid animals with crazy names like Kangarooster or Crocopotamus. I sent him two a week while his struggle lasted. His mom told me he actually looked forward to them and would study them when they arrived. After he died I put the postcards on a CD and forgot about them. I rediscovered them last spring and decided to email them to family and friends. Some of the recipients suggested I do a children's book with them. I recruited help from two of my sisters and last November SHORTY THE DREAMER, a picture book/word game, went on the market. It doesn't tell, it asks. Find out more by going to www.shortythedreamer.com Thank you!
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