Think Pink

"The spirit of the Run lives all year long.
When we wake up each day.
When we reach out our hands.
When we love and laugh.
When our hearts fill with hope.
Together, we can create a future without breast cancer."

That little blurb was printed on the tag attached to the pink candle I was handed when I crossed the finish line at the Run for the Cure yesterday. It was a kind gesture made to those who crossed the finish line wearing the pink shirts that mark survivorship. Yesterday's event was a resounding financial success. More than 20,000 registered participants in Toronto, raised more than $5 million. The event was held simultaneously in 60 communities across the country resulting in a national fundraising total in excess of $33 million. Though there were 20,000 registered Toronto participants, the numbers of people who turned out seemed considerably smaller. It could have been related to the frosty weather conditions that greeted us in the morning or the dearth of parking that was available in the temporary venue at the U of T. Nonetheless, the crowd was animated and enthusiastic and visibly greater measures were taken to recognize and honour survivors. Not that surviving isn't honour enough.

Tomorrow I will attend Willow's signature fundraising event - Eat to the Beat. And though ticket sales are down this year, it still promises to be a fun night. On my way home from a client meeting today I stopped at Yorkdale to see if I could buy a dress that would be suitable for the event. The stores in Yorkdale are awash in pink ribbon merchandise. Though I usually don't buy pink ribbon branded clothing, Guess is selling an irresistible shirt this year so I indulged.

I've been thinking about pink merchandising and about pink ribbon fatigue. I suspect people are getting a little tired of it. So many events, so many requests for money packed into such a short period of time. I hope I'm wrong. But I know it's getting harder and harder to raise the funding we need to operate Willow. The work we do at Willow isn't the sexy work. We're not about the cure. We're about support. We don't have a big fundraising machine. We don't have a board comprised of the leaders of industry or well connected media folks. We don't have a lot of merchandisers standing by to donate the proceeds of their pink merchandising efforts. But if you happen to be that woman living in a small Northern Ontario or Saskatchewan community and your doctor delivers the news of your breast cancer diagnosis on a Tuesday morning, it's easy to understand why the services we provide are so important.

Whether it is support for Willow or Princess Margaret Hospital or the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, I hope you will put aside any pink ribbon fatigue you might be feeling. I plan to light that pink candle I got yesterday and dream of a future without breast cancer.