Join the Fight Against Breast
Breast Cancer vs. Parkinson’s 2024
You can be Cool
October is almost over, but I can’t let it end without my annual PD vs Breast Cancer post. Once again, there is a lot of pink swag available, from scarves and hair accessories to football gear! Really. Breast Cancer is in. It is hip and you can show how hip you are by wearing pink.
For those of us who have had Breast Cancer, we are often much more comfortable about talking about that diagnosis than our Parkinson’s diagnosis. Thanks to the Susan G Komen Foundation and Breast Cancer Research Foundation, it is no longer a taboo topic. Knowledge is power and these organizations have paved the way for us.
All the Pink Swag
Here is just a glimpse of what is available on a website called Fundraising for a Cause
On Bloomingdales website you will find the following:
“Every 14 seconds, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. In support of those affected, we’re proud to raise awareness and funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) and The Tutu Project through our 20th annual Give Pink, Get More campaign.”
Not only can you support BCRF, but you will get $25 in Bloomies rewards for every $250 you spend in October, if you enroll for a mere $15. They have made it a win-win to support breast cancer at Bloomingdales.
Or…Not so Cool
Meanwhile, Parkinson’s disease is not considered hip. We have been late to the game in getting information out about PD. No retail stores are advertising Parkinson’s awareness month in April. There is no Swag readily available to support our cause. I went back to Fundraising for a Cause to see if they have anything for PD. Yes, it is listed under Disease and Health Conditions. When you click on it, it is lumped with other Brain diseases in an ugly gray. You have to scroll way down to find a necklace labeled for Parkinson’s Awareness.
What can you do?
Thankfully, PD Avengers has been working hard to change the narrative and does have some Parkinson’s swag. It has also already begun planning activities for April 2025. April 11—James Parkinson’s birthday—is World Parkinson’s Day. This past April, volunteers reached out to local governments to raise awareness and secure proclamations. On April 11, hundreds of iconic buildings were illuminated in Parkinson’s blue.
For 2025, we hope YOU will join us in Spark the Night or become a “Sparklet” by lighting up your home or business. You can learn more here: WORLD PARKINSON’S NIGHT | SPARK THE NIGHT.
We can also reach out to Fundraising for a Cause and encourage them to create a Parkinson’s campaign using Parkinson’s blue—not gray. Here’s the exact blue to use:
If you have any connections with Bloomingdale’s or other retailers, consider approaching them about supporting Parkinson’s awareness in April. Please keep PD Avengers or me in the loop if you make progress. With PD being the fastest-growing neurological disease, we need to educate both others and ourselves about it—starting now.
Our future, and theirs, depends on it.
Have a great week!
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