Working Together in the World of Breast Cancer

As I do my daily research to find out what is going on in the world of breast cancer, I can’t help but notice the growing number of pieces that I am finding wherein groups, organizations and/or individuals are being attacked in an apparent effort to get readers to drop their support for other programs and put their support behind the organization of those who are doing the attacking. While those who choose to conduct business in this way may believe that they are doing so in order to bring finances to their efforts because they believe that their work is better or more important than that of others, the exact opposite seems to occur. It appears that if you succeed in undermining another’s work, you not only cast doubt upon them but upon your own organization and every other group that is working to find answers and help for those dealing with breast cancer on all levels. As a result, everyone loses.

If we all want to reach our ultimate goal of a world without breast cancer, we can only do so if we all put every positive effort into what we are doing and support others who are doing the same.Barbara Jacoby

Every single organization or individual who establishes some sort of presence does so because they believe there is a need for the work that they are doing or plan to do. They desire to contribute to those who they have identified as not being served or well served by groups or programs or help that currently exists. But, what seems to happen is that as it becomes difficult to find financing if they choose to create a non-profit in order to fund their work, resentment grows against other groups that are receiving support but are not providing the services or programs that they feel are lacking. Therefore, the mindset becomes that if they can undermine bigger or better funded groups, they can not only draw funding away from those organizations but can also bring those monies directly to their own programs. But, in reality what seems to be happening is that if they succeed in undermining one group, they have also succeeded in having every other program questioned and funding starts to dry up everywhere.

This results in the fundamental principle of helping others being lost. Each time that a group or organization or individual is attacked because it is not in line with what someone else believes that it should be or because they do not believe in the principles or conduct of an individual within that group, they have hurt every single person who has been, is currently or will be receiving help from that organization. But if we truly want to work to find a cure, to provide help and support to those who need it on so many levels if they are currently dealing with breast cancer and to prevent as many people as possible from getting breast cancer in the future, we must work together. We all bring something to the table to help others in the best way we know how. None of us can do it all. Therefore, it is important that we all work together and support one another and the work that we are doing if we really want to make progress for the greater good.

Everyone is working hard and giving everything to make a difference in their individual and unique way. If we each continue to do our work in a positive way, working with others in order to expand our individual reach, we can help and support so many more in this way than we can on an individual basis. There will always be ways in which we can find support for that in which we believe if we just focus our talents and abilities in finding them rather than believing that there are only limited resources out there and we can only get our share if we take it away from someone else. I don’t know of anyone who is not willing to help those who are working so hard to help others who are working to provide something in this very large arena. But, on the other hand, most find it very difficult to support those campaigns that have a foundation based upon negative attacks upon others.

I understand that it is not easy to accomplish everything that we want within our individual programs but we knew that when we started our efforts. However, it is no different inside the world of breast cancer than it is inside any other group or organization. Dissention undermines everyone, not just the direct target so we really must work together and allow others to do their work and run their programs as they see fit. If we all want to reach our ultimate goal of a world without breast cancer, we can only do so if we all put every positive effort into what we are doing and support others who are doing the same. This is the only way every single one of us will reach the goals that we are so diligently pursuing in the ways that we individually know best.