Breast Cancer Realities

Letter to the Editor

Judging by the Globe and Mail coverage, it appears that breast cancer only strikes women who have six figure incomes, most of whom, apparently, are also high-profile media personalities. This is not the case. Working-class women and women living in poverty also get breast cancer. These women also face the fear of dying, the worry of how to tell their children and difficult treatment decisions. They do so though with far fewer resources to draw on. Their concerns do not revolve around whether or not to wear a wig during their next television appearance. They are worried about feeding themselves and their children decently during the long ordeals of surgery and chemotherapy. They are challenged by often arduous daily trips to and from radiation appointments that some cannot actually manage. Too sick to work, they struggle to cope with the impact of loss of income on themselves and their families. Perhaps the Globe and Mail could tear itself away from the concerns of celebrities and devote a story to the realities that these women with breast cancer face.

Miriam Garfinkle