What's Hidden Behind the Pink Ribbon
The Brian Lehrer Show
WNYC
4.6 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 19 October 2023
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but often, the act of becoming more aware is simplified to sporting a pink ribbon. Rebecca Weiss, senior listener services associate at New York Public Radio and founder of Bob's Boxes, a 501c3 nonprofit that sends post-mastectomy care packages to women with breast cancer -- and listeners -- shed light on aspects of the experience of the disease that are not often discussed, but patients and survivors of breast cancer wish we all knew.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Brian Lairr on WNYC and now we'll close today's show with the recognition that October |
| 0:15.8 | is breast cancer awareness month and a call in for any of you who are dealing now or |
| 0:21.1 | have at any time in the past dealt with breast cancer in some way in your life to say, |
| 0:26.7 | what about breast cancer? You'd like everyone else to be more aware of 2-1-2-4-3-3-WNYC-2-1-2-4-3-3-9-6-9-2 and I'll |
| 0:39.2 | give you one possible topic area in a minute, but in general maybe you survive breast cancer a decade |
| 0:45.4 | ago or you're currently dealing with it or if someone in your family has breast cancer |
| 0:51.1 | where inviting you to call in to or taking the name of the month literally for this segment, |
| 0:56.8 | breast cancer awareness month and inviting you to say anything regarding it that you were just |
| 1:02.2 | like more people to be aware of 2-1-2-4-3-3-WNYC-2-1-2-4-3-3-9-6-9-2. The one possible topic |
| 1:15.2 | that I want to throw out and we'll touch on it with a guest in just a second is the language |
| 1:20.7 | that you like or don't like that pertains to you or the disease. The word fighter has recently |
| 1:27.4 | been criticized I saw it. Do you like dislike or have any other reaction when people call you a |
| 1:33.2 | fighter as you deal with the condition? What about survivor? Is that empowering, stigmatizing, |
| 1:39.8 | anything else? What language around breast cancer makes you feel supported or makes you bristle |
| 1:45.8 | when you hear 2-1-2-4-3-3-WNYC-2-1-2-4-3-9-6-9-2 call or text? And again more broadly, |
| 1:56.8 | October as many of you may know is breast cancer awareness month but often we find that awareness |
| 2:02.8 | doesn't go too deep unless you or someone you know have personally been touched by the disease, |
| 2:08.8 | breast cancer awareness often starts and ends with a pink ribbon and sure the symbol helps spread |
| 2:15.4 | awareness that the disease exists but how can it transmit knowledge of the actual lived experience |
| 2:21.3 | of having breast cancer or what people need with respect to it. So listeners with this life experience |
| 2:29.5 | yourselves if you're the patient or if you're involved with the patient in any way we give you |
| 2:36.0 | the floor on this breast cancer awareness month we invite you to make us aware what something |
... |
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