Mobilize or Minimize?

Today I am grateful for our backyard fire pit and a game of catch with Sam.

After writing yesterday's post, some thoughts stayed with me and are worthy of their own post."Did I cause my cancer?" is a provocative question in many ways. The answer given says more about a person's overall approach to life than it really does about their cancer diagnosis.

There is a continuum here. I can believe I caused my own cancer, beat myself up for previous choices, and obsess about everything I do, breathe in, ingest, and surround myself with. That is one extreme. The other extreme is feeling like a 100% victim, taking absolutely no responsibility for my own health, because cancer just happens regardless. Most of us answering this question are somewhere closer to the middle of this continuum.

It's really the difference between mobilizing and minimizing. If I take some level of responsibility for my health, I am mobilized to take actions to restore and preserve my health. If I am an unfortunate, helpless victim, I may minimize the importance of my own choices and actions. I may do or change very little. I would rather mobilize than minimize.

I already talk enough in this blog about the healthy actions and habits I try my best to adhere to for my own well-being. Individual mobilization. But mobilization beyond the personal realms, yours and mine, is needed if we hope to solve the mysteries of cancer.

We can speak up and speak out when we have opportunities. We can email or call our legislators when important bills are being discussed, like current national proposed legislation that regulates chemicals more effectively. Women can also join the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation's Army of Women and Health of Women study. Read more about both here.

We can take part in other surveys that help people studying cancer and those living with it. When appropriate, we can consider participating in clinical trials. We can be informed consumers of pink products and more knowledgeable about charitable organizations before we donate to them.

I appreciate the many bloggers out there who write so passionately and eloquently about many of these topics. I appreciate the organizations that have the right mission when it comes to cancer.

And we are all part of this "we" even though I initially was referring to people who have had a cancer diagnosis. If you haven't had cancer yourself, chances are high you know and care about at least one person who has.

Mobilize or minimize? Which will you choose?

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