Cancer Awareness Bracelets: Got Your Socially Responsible Silicone Rubber Bracelet Yet?

Oh no, these silicone rubber bracelets aren’t necessarily what you think them to be. Most people look at these silicone rubber bracelets as just another silly fashion accessory that makes the women and girls go crazy. But in reality, these humble and often derided bracelets have succeeded in transgressing the boundaries of the fashion and style world and have managed to enter the hallowed precincts of a socially responsible “spread awareness” zone.

Yes, I am talking about the cancer awareness bracelets. You must have heard of them or at least seen the yellow Lance Armstrong Foundation Cancer awareness bracelets? This particular Lance Armstrong Foundation supports the victims of cancer, spreads social awareness about cancer, supports cancer patients and they came up with this fabulous idea of selling yellow wristbands or Cancer awareness bracelets to raise funds for supporting the cause of their charity.

You won’t believe it but millions of people across the world have purchased and now proudly sport the famous yellow Cancer awareness bracelets. Naturally, as you can understand, millions of dollars have been raised through selling these Cancer awareness bracelets and the latter are well recognized wherever you might go. These Cancer awareness bracelets have made people stand up for the cause of cancer and made them fight this life threatening disease.

You will find many celebrities sporting Cancer awareness bracelets and they are all associated with various cancer fighting NGOs or social organizations or charity groups.

There are also breast cancer awareness bracelets, cervical cancer awareness bracelets, ovarian cancer awareness bracelets as well as other kinds of Cancer awareness bracelets and the color of choice is a pretty pink. Pink is a healing, comforting and soothing color and it is also regarded as a girlie color. And this pink ribbon owes its origin to a 68 year old woman named Charlotte Haley who used to make and distribute peach ribbons.

Along with these ribbons she sent out handmade cards with the message – “the National Cancer Institute has sanctioned $1.8 billion as its annual budget for fighting cancer, but only 5% of that money is being utilized for the prevention of cancer. Please help us wake up America and its legislators by sporting this ribbon”. This lady, Haley had a grandmother, a sister and her own daughter who suffered from breast cancer.

This is the story behind the invention of the pink ribbon symbol. She had refused Self magazine’s request to use the peach cancer ribbon on grounds that it was too commercial and the magazine came up with the idea of a pink ribbon. This is how the pink ribbon was born. In fact Cancer awareness bracelets are extremely ubiquitous nowadays.