Stupid Cancer

"Stupid cancer. We all want a new car, a new phone. A person who has cancer only wants one thing... to survive. I know that a lot of you 'who think you're too cool' probably won't re-post this. But some of my friends will. Put this on your wall in honor of someone who died of cancer, survived, or who is fighting against it now."

Please bear in mind, I don't mean to offend anyone. My impossibly small base of readers doesn't justify controversy, but the fact that it's my blog and my viewpoint does. 

I'm not going to re-post this anywhere on Facebook, but not because I'm too cool, because I don't agree with it. It's almost offensive in its own painfully impersonal sentiment. Anything in honor of someone, even a Facebook post, deserves more respect than copy and paste. As for raising awareness, I'd like to think we as a society are aware of cancer, and making people more aware by re-posting a status won't change anything. Change requires more than that. Post a link to a site accepting donations instead, or better, donate money or time yourself.

Not everyone wants a new car or a new phone. There are other illnesses and problems that people suffer from. And from the people I've known with cancer, they want more than just to survive. Some only want to survive for their families and to be there for their children. Some want to teach people about what they're going through. And I'm sure some wouldn't complain if they got a new car or phone. I can't speak for everyone with cancer, because I don't know everyone with cancer, but I do know enough not to generalize. 

You want to make a difference? Go make a difference. Or at least post this instead: donate to the american cancer society