Occupy Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but at the same time I feel like I have been exposed to all sorts of cancers since the beginning of this month. First, I start with Breast Cancer---if you look into your contacts you will know someone who has this or know someone who knows someone who is going through it (six degrees of separation). Unfortunately in 2011, I think I've met more people who have had or do have breast cancer including those close to me. My grandma was diagnosed in her old age and I wonder if this contributed to all the other medical issues she had before she died in 2009, but we will never know. The point is, it's everywhere. I also know people who are suffering from lukemia, lymphoma and prostate cancer. And most recently was the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who just passed from pancreatic cancer just two days ago. I heard the news while I was waking at the Lukemia and Lymphoma society's light the night walk in downtown Manhattan (i'll get to this experience in a minute)....so I was a bit overwhelmed with all the cancer going around. It's very easy to be brought down just by being surrounded by this. I wonder how oncologists deal with cancer patients knowing that some cases are not curable...but like me, I feel like strength is drawn by the survivors and their families, which brings me to Light the Night walk. I was told about this walk by a good friend of mine. I thought this would be a perfect time to take my camera and go shoot some pictures and then after join the Occupy Wall Street protests that were literally blocks away from this walk. I ended up in a sea of balloons--Red for Supporters, White for Survivors and Gold for In Memorium. Amongst the crowd I saw mainly red balloons, followed by gold then few white ones. I decided to walk with the crowd up to the Brooklyn bridge where they would cross the bridge and return to hang up their balloon outside of city hall. I was beyond touched and speechless that night. There was an energy in the crowd that I couldn't describe. Along the walk route were pictures of people who fought the good fight and it was touching to see some of the family members stand by a picture proud of their relative who fought so hard to survive. I saw old people and I saw children in those photos. I saw teams of families walk for their love ones who they lost to cancer but they were cheering along for their family member. I met a lady who has two daughters, one with breast cancer and one with lukemia...her face was stern but she spoke about how hard this journey has been on her and that she had to do this. I heard many of the walkers say that this was a better cause than the Occupy Wall Street protests that was only blocks away. Before I arrived at the finished line, I decided to look at my Twitter feed--saw that Steve Jobs died from cancer....I was overcome with emotion...I went through the finish line with sadness, but what kept me going was the energetic people around me. After the finish line, people hung their red, white or gold balloon for their relatives. I was touched to see a white balloon person who walked and just paused looking at the balloons surrounding her. I saw many gold balloons taking moments of silence...I can't imagine their struggles because the families go through the process of cancer just like the patient. I ended up sitting for a bit because I was still filled with emotion of the news of Steve Jobs dying from cancer. I was at a walk for cancer as well...I was overwhelmed. I happened to sit underneath a picture of a young child where it said 'two time cancer survivor'. I saw many just stand and stare and also tear up in front of this picture. I didn't find it appropriate to attend the wall street protests after this...I felt like I was with people who were paying tribute to their loved ones....this cause surpasses any type of political or class issues...it is universal with all walks of life. It's too often that we hear someone we know has cancer. However I dont see outrage to fight this amongst the general public. I know it's not a political or economic protest---but once you are somehow touched by this, you want to find a way to fix things. I just know the only way I can help is through support...I believe the presence at these events to raise money speaks volumes to support the survivors and their families. It shows we have compassion and can think outside of our technologically hooked lives where we dont see past our own phones or computers. If it's not cancer, it should be something else that we reach out to the human race---it can be feeding the homeless or whatever it takes to go from a selfish to a selfless society. I hope that just as Americans are protesting the injustice of wealth we also protest and occupy the horrible diseases like cancer.