Red Ribbon Week is This Week: What We Need to do Now

October 23-31, 2011

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I love Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I know, this post is supposed to be about Red Ribbon Week, but keep reading. I love Breast Cancer Awareness Month because this disease has affected so many women. I doubt there are very few people that haven’t been affected in some way.

I am part of a group of six women from high school, who for the past 20 plus years have met every spring for a weekend of fun.  I have known one since Kindergarten, and one since second grade. We go way back. We usually meet in either northern or southern California, and one of these years, we’ll cross the state lines.

Two out of my six high school friends were diagnosed with breast cancer, within a relatively short time of each other. We are extremely grateful that they are both doing well and have passed their five year mark.

Nineteen years ago, a close friend who was a fellow teacher at my school was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was only 28 at the time. My son was in her class that year. Again, she is doing well and has gone to be an amazing teacher at my former elementary school.

Several of my friend’s moms have had breast cancer, and I feel their concern as they wonder if this disease will affect them.

We are all well aware of the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Walk. Two of my three friends that were diagnosed, have walked the breast cancer walk, and my friend from high school was asked to speak at the race.

Walking the Breast Cancer Walk is on my Bucket List, and I hope to do it soon.

We couldn’t do enough to spread the word about breast cancer, to urge more women to go in for their annual mammogram, to do a self check each month, and to generally be aware of the disease.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I recently flew to Atlanta on Delta. The airlines was acknowledging Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The men wore pink ties. They even have a pink plane.

Last night I watched with my husband and sons, the Saints vs. Colts Football game, and noticed that the players had pink towels hanging out of their pants.

Kids are opening pizza boxes and seeing ads about Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

On October 3, 2011, the White House was illuminated pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Red Ribbon Week – Live Smart Drug Free

If you didn’t know this week was Red Ribbon Week, I’m glad I mentioned it. If you are not sure what Red Ribbon Week is, it is celebrated in schools nationwide to motivate kids to be drug-free.

Kiki Camarena

“Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s oldest and LARGEST drug prevention program in the nation reaching millions of Americans during the last week of October every year. By wearing red ribbons and participating in community anti-drug events, young people pledge to live a drug-free life and pay tribute to DEA Special Agent Enriqué “Kiki” Camarena.” ~ Red Ribbon Coalition.com

Enrique “Kiki” Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference.

Camarena worked his way through college, served in the Marines and became a police officer. When he decided to join the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out it. “I can’t not do this,” he told her. “I’m only one person, but I want to make a difference.

Special Agent Kiki Camarena was an 11-year veteran of the DEA assigned to the Guadalajara, Mexico, office where he was on the trail of the country’s biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers. In 1985, he was extremely close to unlocking a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline.

On February 7, 1985, he was kidnapped, brutally tortured, and murdered by Mexican drug traffickers. His tragic death opened the eyes of many Americans to the dangers of drugs and the international scope of the drug trade.

Shortly after Kiki’s death, Congressman Duncan Hunter and Kiki’s high school friend Henry Lozano launched “Camarena Clubs” in Kiki’s hometown of Calexico, California. Hundreds of club members pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifice made by Kiki Camarena.

The Red Ribbon Celebration Pledge is “No Use of Illegal Drugs, No Illegal Use of Legal Drugs.”

The City of Irvine Community Services staff developed the following Red Ribbon Celebration Pledge to include prescription drugs. I like this one even better.

I pledge to make healthy choices, to be a positive role model for my friends, and to support the mission of Ribbon Week “No Use of Illegal Drugs, No Illegal Use of Legal Drugs.”

Red Ribbon Week is celebrated in schools nationwide every year. When I was teaching fourth grade the parents decorated the school with red ribbons. Some years we had an assembly with the police department, or maybe a counselor spoke to the students about the dangers of doing drugs.

We had discussions about alcohol and drug use in the classroom. You had to be there to get the full picture, but I’m sure some of the parents would be mortified if they knew what their child was revealing about them in class.

At the time, I had not experienced my children’s drug use, so I was relatively naive as well.

I applaud breast cancer awareness and the hard work by many who have made it a national cause. I hope the cause expands even further and more lives are saved.

I want the same for Red Ribbon Week. Could we have a Red Ribbon Month? 

There’s room.

Kids are dying each day from alcohol overdose, illegal drug overdose, as well as legal drug overdose, car accidents, and other sidelines of drug use.

Libby Cataldi, author of “Stay Close” talks about how her friends did not give her the same kind of attention when her son was a heroin addict as they did when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

They barely mentioned it. They did not bring over dinner.

I know these are two different diseases. They affect people in difference ways. There is not the kind of stigma attached to breast cancer as there is to addiction.

Our kids continue to die from this disease everyday, and if we want to have a future generation that is healthy, strong and ready to move us forward, we need to pay attention.

We do not need to leave behind those that are affected by the disease of addiction. It’s a large group, larger than you may have imagined.

We do need to reach down, and give people affected by the disease of addiction a hand up, but even better, we need to PREVENT this disease by spreading awareness and educating in a big way.

I would love to see football players wearing red ribbons and be role models for our kids. I would love to see airlines have a plane with a red ribbon for Drug Prevention. Will the White House spotlight a red ribbon during the week?

Pizza boxes, (kids love pizza) could have a red ribbon for the week, for the month, for the year.  It wouldn’t need to stop there.

Want to help support Red Ribbon Week?

• Join me in wearing RED every day this week!
• Forward this post on to friends and family as well as Facebook, twitter, Google+, Linkedin, Stumble, Digg, and  anywhere else you feel the word would spread.
• Go here to buy a Drug awareness bracelet.
• Go here to read about the DEA’s Anti-Drug Campaign, and here for more red ribbon week links.

Next week is Drug Facts Week, in case you didn’t know.

What do think about Red Ribbon Week? How can we spread the word about the danger of substance abuse and addiction? How does your community support Red Ribbon Week? Please leave a comment and let us know.

Be Well,

Cathy

Related posts: