Pink is not for sissies

If you've seen me during the past year, you might have noticed I wear a pink bracelet doodad on my right wrist. No, it's not a fashion statement or some weird thing. Last Fall, I donated money to breast cancer research/awareness. I have no relatives who've been struck by breast cancer. I consider myself lucky -- many people aren't so fortunate.

My sister, Debbie, told me she researched and found that the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is one of the top ones as far as money donated going towards doing some good (versus administration and other costs). That sounded good to me. In return they gave me this pink thingie, and I've worn it since.

Do you watch football on Sundays? If so, maybe you've noticed that some players have been wearing pink gloves or pink shoes lately. They are doing this to contribute by raising awareness of this important organization.

Memphis has a big fund raiser each year for the Komen Foundation. It's called The (Komen) Race For the Cure, a 5K (5000 meters) race and it's tomorrow. Two people I work with are heavily involved. One is in charge of organizing and running the event. The other is a breast-cancer survivor, so you can see why it's important to her. She told me today that this year they have 16,000 runners registered and have pledges for more than $1 million (for the first time).

I'm going to get up bright and early tomorrow and take my camera with me. I want to see and record what 16,000 runners look like. They let the women who are survivors wear pink. I wonder how many I'll see who've survived what used to be a death sentence.

After the event, I'm leaving for St. Louis to see the Rams play the Carolina Pathers on Sunday. After I return, I'll have some photos to share. Maybe some of the Ram or Panther players will be sporting pink -- wearing pink doesn't make you a sissy, you know.