The Times' Breast Cancer Brouhaha

The brouhaha over readers mixed reactions over The New York Times' front page photo of a breast cancer conqueror enrages me.

As a young breast cancer survivor (I am 37 and was diagnosed with breast cancer last May, and had a lumpectomy and completed radiation), I am outraged by the readers comments about the photo of a 28-year-old woman that shows her lumpectomy scar and a tattoo of the Star of David that was published on the front page of The Times on November 27.

The outrage and response goes to show that as far as the fight against breast cancer has come, as much money the Susan G. Komen and other foundations have raised for breast cancer research, as prevalent as the pink ribbon is is America, there remains much ambivalence, fear and perhaps shame about this disease. This woman and the photo are reality, not just pink ribbons and Avon walks. We need to look breast cancer in the eye as it is.

We have come a long way but have a long way to go.