My friend Diane is a health enthusiast eating only healthy food and staying in shape. She and her girl friends attend a yoga session on Mondays and Zen meditation on Fridays. They usually join fun runs at 3 kilometers, sometimes 5. Out of curiosity, I joined them in a run for a cause.
We paid our registration fee. In return, we were given a white t-shirt each. At the upper left side of the shirt was a ribbon. My friend had a white ribbon. Her friends either had orange, red or violet ribbon. Mine was a white.
So on that early September morning, we gathered in a football field. Participants were each in white t-shirt with a colored ribbon. The colored ribbons were actually cancer awareness ribbons. Each color signifies awareness for a certain type of cancer, or stands for a cause or association. For example, the white ribbon on my shirt stands for gay-teen suicide awareness. My friend’s yellow for bone cancer as well as soldier support; orange for leukemia; red for heart and stroke awareness, also for software freedom campaign. Black is a ribbon for melanoma awareness as well as mourning for all the 9/11 victims. Gray ribbons are for asthma, diabetes, borderline personality disorder awareness, and hold your breath – zombie awareness. There are yet many other colors, each color with its own message.
Cancer of the malignant type is synonymous to a death sentence. Some have eluded death due to early detection and cure.
There are many known causes of cancer. However, some remain unknown. I believe keeping oneself fit and healthy helps in the prevention of the much dreaded disease. That means proper diet and exercise and just like my friend, joining a fun run, especially one for a cause.