Eff Cancer
When Yael Cohens mom got cancer, she was pissed. So pissed that she made a T-shirt that expressed how she felt: Fuck Cancer.
It was meant to be something she wore privately at home while she was recovering, Cohen explains. But my mother is absolutely fearless. She wore it everywhere. She wore it through her treatment; she wore it to get coffee; she wore it to whatever she was doing.
[Fuck Cancer] is a message of defiance against politeness, a powerful statement that silence can be deadly. Its also meant as a message to its followers that cancer can do a hell of a lot more damage than some four-letter word.
The T-shirt evolved into a movement that, in turn, became a registered nonprofit, foundation and charity known as Fuck Cancer (or F*** Cancer, to some who feel a little reticent to use the four-letter word), which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month.
Fuck Cancers proceedsfrom the sale of T-shirts and other merchandise, available in censored and uncensored versions at [www.letsfcancer.com](http://www.letsfcancer.com/home.html)go toward prevention, early detection and education about different types of cancer and possible symptoms. It may be the best option for those who arent really interested in being a part of the pink brigade and have a more forthright way of expressing themselves.
Speaking with Cohen, who is based in Vancouver, even the most hardened, chain-smoking New York cynic would find it hard not to be moved to tears. Her tiny voice swells with an almost overwhelming passion when she speaks. This emotion is the heart of her movement.
My mother is strong and beautiful and radiant and all of a sudden people would tilt their heads and actually pat her on the head, Cohen says. Youre fighting the fight of your life, and people are treating you like youre a child. Everybody wants you to be happy. Everybody wants you to pretend that theres some good reason you got cancer: Its made you realize how good your life was or what you could be, and maybe thats true, but at the same time it fucking sucks. Its hard, and its painful and its embarrassing and its a lot of other really bad things too, and its OK to say that. But, as a society we dont often want to hear that, because it makes it so much harder for us, to see what somebodys going through.
For Cohen, the most important defense availablethe best Fuck You! to canceris early detection. Ninety percent of cancers are curable in stage one, Cohen explains. We spend billions of dollars and over 40 years searching for a cure, and were not really that close. So why arent we teaching people the only cure we have now? Early detection is one shitty year, versus the rest of your life.
To that end, Fuck Cancer uses its proceeds to educate Generation Y to start looking for cancer, instead of just finding it. In particular, Cohen aims to motivate the younger generation to reach out to their elders, to encourage them to be more aware of risks and warning signs, to help them make positive lifestyle changes, and nag them to seek appropriate testing and treatment. Were teaching our parents how to use a Blackberry or TiVO or whatever it may be, says Cohen, so we might as well teach them something that can save their lives.
Fuck Cancer is partners with Fran Dreschers organization, Cancer Schmancer, which targets an older generation with a similar education-based mission. Cancer Schmancer also operates Fran Vans, which offer cancer screening and diagnosis to un- and under-insured individuals in the United States.
Based in Vancouver, Fuck Cancer also has an office in New York where U.S. donors can make a donation if they wish. Cohen believes it is of particular importance to serve patients in the United States because of the lack of universal health care. And all of our programs are dont ask, dont tell for illegal immigrants as well, Cohen says. Theres care all the way through. Why would you come in and get tested to find out you have cancer if you cant get care? Or when you know you may be sent home when they ask for your papers in the Emergency Room? Cohens organization spreads its message primarily through the use of social media, with informational cue cards available on Facebook, and an interactive online game, which Cohen refers to as a sort of Farmville for cancer, is also in the works. The cue cards, in particular, help readers pinpoint potential signs and symptoms, and provide guidelines on how to talk to doctors.
A lot of the time symptoms are seemingly benign and highly embarrassing. If you go to the doctor and get told you have IBS, you walk away embarrassed, Cohen says. You dont really ask questions. Youre told, stop eating whatever foods and youll be fine. And by the time you go back because something is so wrong that you feel like you need to go back, its often much farther advanced.
Beyond prevention, early detection and education, Fuck Cancer provides a safe space for Cancer Fuckerspeople fighting cancer, plus friends, families and other supportersto express their thoughts, feelings and stories about cancer. Users post their personal stories to a cloud on the website, where other viewers can read them at random.
This is a place where you can say how much it fucking sucks that youve lost your hair or that you cant keep food down because of your chemo or that you miss your dad so much, says Cohen. Its OK to be emotional, and its OK to laugh and say that you decided to shave a mohawk because you were gonna have to lose your hair anyway. You can be happy, you can be sad, you can be what you actually feel. Its OK to have a valid emotion around us, we dont need to be daffodils and rainbows all the time.