October is breast cancer awareness month. Get ready to be pinked by a sea of products in pink packages and read some “amazing” claims about how to prevent and/or cure this disease.

Remember all that “Pink” doesn’t always translate into green for breast cancer patient screenings/care and breast cancer research programs.

Buyer Beware

Last year I wrote a piece about Pinktober and the need to know where your money is going. Here is the link: https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2017/10/14/pinktober-get-ready-to-be-pinked-by-fran-joyce

You can also read that article by scrolling to October 2017 on our homepage or by entering the words “breast cancer” or “Pinktober” in our search engine.

I won’t duplicate it here, but in a nutshell, be wary of pink foods, clothing and Knickknacks. Some companies donate very little if any of the proceeds from the sale of these items to breast cancer care or research.

I am a breast cancer survivor so Pinktober has special significance for me. Unlike many of my fellow survivors, I am not vehemently opposed to this sea of pink.

Seeing pink can save lives. If a pink bag of chips reminds one woman to schedule a mammogram or do a breast self exam, a life may be saved.

Yes, I know some products are unhealthy and that’s counter productive to this month’s message, but remember no one can force you to buy a pink bag of chips or a pink bar of chocolate.

I encourage everyone to do some research and find the companies who are really helping and buy their products or donate directly to breast cancer research. Also, go to

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/support-breast-cancer-awareness.php and read "Beyond Wearing Pink: How You Can Support Breast Cancer Awareness" by Melissa Brock for some wonderful ideas about how to support breast cancer awareness this month and all year long.