When my aunt had breast cancer, she went through chemotherapy. Her hair fell out in huge chunks. Eventually, she decided she needed to shave her head. I remember when she did it. I felt sick about it. I can’t imagine shaving my head. I can’t imagine not having hair. That may seem like a silly fear, but it’s real for me. She was brave. She died with that same courage and strength.
Recently, I met another courageous woman, Erika Vandiver, and her family. She is young and struggling with breast cancer. She has a little girl. Her story is amazing and miraculous, but her struggle is not over, far from it.
Since becoming a pro-life advocate, I no longer donate money to Susan G. Komen. I have stopped donating to any charitable organization that supports Planned Parenthood, either financially or ideologically.
I hate cancer, but I hate abortion even more. I hate that almost 4,000 children die from abortion every day in this country. I hate that organizations like Komen give our largest abortion provider over $500,000 a year, and I know their talking points. They donate so women are able to receive mammograms, and so Planned Parenthood can provide breast services.
Well, here’s the truth:
No Planned Parenthood in this country provides mammogram services. Komen’s donations go into Planned Parenthood’s general operating fund. There is no oversight of Komen money once it is in Planned Parenthood hands. Those are facts.
So, now that I am no longer supporting any organization that supports Planned Parenthood or supports embryonic stem cell research, I had to make a decision. I still wanted to give to the “breast cancer movement,” but how would I able to do that?
My decision was to give directly to those struggling with breast cancer. I decided to give to Erika Vandiver. I decided to give where it was really needed. Fifty dollars doesn’t make much difference to an organization like Komen, but it makes a huge difference to a family struggling with breast cancer. It makes a huge difference when that family is struggling to pay medical bills.
I encourage you to do the same as well. We already give Planned Parenthood $487 million dollars of our tax money. That is enough for me. I don’t want to contribute one more dime to that organization, but I do want to help families that are stricken with this disease.
You can help, too. Erika is just an example of one woman who could use your help. You can donate to her medical fund by visiting Erika’s Medical Journey. You can help other women similar to her.
As scripture says in Acts 20:35, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.” Let’s put this into action.
Abby,I am glad to see you encourage this kind of giving… As our family has also become more enlightened to these corporations and charities that support PP, as well as other things like same sex unions, we have redirected our giving to small monasteries, local projects, and individuals as well. Knowing exactly who and how the money is being utilized is a comfort- and you are exactly right in that it really helps intimately and immediately.
As a side note, I was once the same about hair being lost/ shaved- until I had to do it for brain surgery. I was actually more hung up on the head shaving than the surgery. It was very liberating, to be honest. Amazing how things like that fall away and reduce significance once it is done. I think I could face anything now, shaved head and all.
God Bless you!
Amen! Great idea to give directly to the families suffering.
Thank you Abby for the shout out! My latest blog post was actually about me losing my hair again… Only this time voluntarily. I cut all my chemo curls off to donate to an organization that makes wigs for kids going through hair loss (chemo, radiation, or other illness). It is so hard as a staunch pro-lifer to judge which organizations deserve my support for breast cancer. It’s even harder when research organizations use sly language to cover their complicity with abortion and embryonic stem cell research. I implore your readers and anyone they know to seek out local victims of breast cancer (or your personal pet disease). Only then do you have reasonable assurance that your hard earned donations aren’t funding something contrary to your beliefs. I’ve actually had to step back from a local organization and from my cancer center. The local organization became more about fund raising to pay administrators and less about caring for women and babies. My cancer center has done wonderful things for women, like me, who are diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant. However, they have also furthered research using embryonic stem cells, something absolutely contrary to protecting the smallest of human lives.
Again thank you for the shout out! My miracle chemo baby us growing in. Leaps and bounds, while my complications continue to be exacerbated. One day my battle with breast cancer will be finished. Hopefully during my battle I will encourage women to choose life for both mother and her unborn child(ren) when diagnosed with cancer. Stay strong & pray long!!
Thanks, Abby, you are an inspiration…I get tired of people looking at me shocked when I say I won’t support their bike ride or 5K or whatever they are doing because the funds go to Komen or Livestrong or March of Dimes…they look at me like I have two heads with horns on them and when I tell them why I don’t support these organizations, I still get the look of “well you must not care about cancer victims”…you give me courage to stick to my convictions and find other ways to truly help the sick and their families.God Bless,
Karen
Thanks for speaking the truth in love.
I no longer give to Ronald McDonald House because they also give to PP. Since I have quit giving to them I have made an effort to give directly to families who have children with medical problems so that they can use the money for whatever they need. Giving directly to those with breast cancer is also a great idea. Also I have researched the National Breast Cancer Foundation and have found that they have no link to PP or SGK and they fund only places that actually do mammograms and are capable of providing follow-up treatment if something is found. I was asked by someone to give money to American Cancer Society (also on the list of the organizations who give money to PP) for Relay for Life in memory of her mother who had died of breast cancer. I explained why I could not donate to the American Cancer and made a donation to the National Breast Cancer Society in her mother’s memory instead. There a LOTS of ways to help without giving any money to PP.
Kudos to you for this blog! 21 yrs ago I had an unwanted pregnancy and scheduled an appt with Planned Parenthood. I was surprised how quick the ‘screening’ interview was..less than 10 mins…and I was booked for an abortion. One week before “my problem was going to be taken care of”, I believe I was touched by the Holy Spirit and in an instant, I did a 180 and was going to have this child (never thought of ‘it’ as a real person before!) Incredible peace came over me in that moment. We just celebrated my daughter’s 21st birthday a few days ago…praise the Lord! All these years it crosses my mind what almost happened. Since that time, I will not support United Way since they provide generous funding to PP. Now I am curious to know what other organizations support them as well.
On a side note, I went through the whole breast cancer thing a in 2010/2011, chemo and shaved head…my worst fear as my long blonde hair was always my pride. I was just starting a new biz that was quite physical working over a hot grill and didn’t know how I was going to get through it (I’m a single mom of two so working is not an option, but a necessity) I sailed right through it…so distracted with the biz, I didn’t have time to think of cancer, chemo etc and was never sick. Bought several nice (but inexpensive) wigs and nobody ever guessed that I was going thru chemo and that was not my real hair…I even traveled several times and would snorkel with my wig on! My hair is now back in nicely and it’s all behind me..thank you Lord!
Information on: find out how to give hair to a cancer foundation so they can make a wig out of it? http://tinyurl.com/cpmmns6