Facebook, bra colors, and true breast cancer awareness.

Have you seen a bunch of Facebook status updates that just say "black," "pink," "red," or some other colors? Do you know why?

I got this email on Facebook several times over yesterday:
"Some fun is going on.... just write the color of your bra in your status. Just the color, nothing else. And send email on to ONLY girls, no men .... It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of cancer awareness. It will be fun to see how long it takes before the men will wonder why all the girls have a color in their status... Haha! pass this on"

I'm sorry, but Breast Cancer is not fun. Sure, it can't hurt to post these colors, but how many women are posting a color and forgetting about it? How many women are actually raising true awareness for the disease? And why can't men be involved?

If you want to truly step up and let your voice be heard, here's a better way. It takes a few moments of your time and is definitely worth passing around...


Dear Friends,
This is an opportunity to help the 20,000 people in the United States who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. If you're receiving this, it's because I believe you will take the 3 minutes to email your Senators and Representative to support Breast Cancer patients, and that you will recruit others to support to this cause.

The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2009 (S. 688/H.R.1691) will require Insurance Companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It will eliminate the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are being sent home a few hours after surgery.

This legislation has been introduced in every Congressional session since 1997, but had always died in Committee, until last year. 2008 marked the FIRST time the bill made it to subcommittee discussions, and then passage by the House of Representatives! Progress! However, the Senate did not vote on the bill before the legislative session ended, so did the bill died again. Now that Congress is back from summer recess, it's again time to apply pressure to get the bills into discussions and passed.

Email is an efficient, effective way to reach a Senator or Representative. It doesn't need to go through the security check that a regular letter does.

Below are links to the Senate & House, instructions for those who might need them, and a short message you can copy and paste in.. The goal is to inundate Congressmen from EVERY state and get their attention.



Please take the time to contact your Congressman, and then forward this to all of your friends and relatives who will take action. I sincerely believe that last year’s August, 2008 email campaign that so many of you responded to led to the House passage on September 25, 2008.

This is a personal battle. My surgeon insisted I stay a full day after my mastectomy. I still went home with drains attached, but I was in better condition than I was the day before.

Cancer patients need our support, a mastectomy is only the first step of a long ordeal.
I truly appreciate your help.


Instructions (read through first)

Senator
1. Highlight and copy the letter below.

2. Click on the this Senate link to get to the Senate web page: http://www.senate.gov/
3. Click on your state name in the Find Your Senator box
in the upper right corner of the page, then click GO.
4. Click on the senator's "web form" address line

5. Fill in your personal information (name, address, etc)

6. Paste the letter in the Comment section & click submit/send



Representative

1. Highlight and copy the letter below.

2. Click on the Representative link to get to the Representative web page: http://www.house.gov/
3. Click on the picture of the pen in hand (upper left) that says Write Your Representative.
4. Select your state and fill in zip code, then click “Contact My Representative"
5. Fill in your personal information (name, address, city ), then click Continue to text

6. Paste the letter in the Comment section and click submit



Letter:

The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2009, H.R. 1691 and S. 688, provides
mastectomy patients with inpatient care NOT limited by insurers to less than 48 hours .


200,000 women in the United States will get diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
They need more than proclamations and pink ribbons each October. They need your
help and support. The bill has been referred to subcommittee on Health, Employment,
Labor and Pensions, but it needs to be voted on, passed, and signed into law.

The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act has been waiting for passage since 1997.
The 2007 bill, HR 758, was voted on and passed by the House of Representatives
in 2008, but its companion bill, S 459, was never voted on in the Senate.

Please don't let another session go by without making this legislation law.


Thanks, friends. Please pass it along!
-Drea