Seeing someone on the street wearing a t-shirt with the words “Fuck Cancer” sprawled across the chest is understandably offensive. Some might even consider it insensitive. But what’s more profane is that one in every three Canadian women and one in every two Canadian men will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Take a look at the Shout Out Wall on the Fuck Cancer website, and you’ll get a good sense of how the disease is, yes, something worth cursing about—especially when it’s attached to a personal story.
“Over ninety per cent of cancers are curable in stage one,” says Yael Cohen, who first uttered the slogan while her mother was recovering from cancer treatments. “It’s what made me realize there is something we can actually do here.” Her goal is to activate Generation Y to engage with their parents about early detection of cancer, using messaging and media that are identifiable with this demographic. “People in my age group don’t think cancer will necessarily affect them now—not directly. But by encouraging them to appeal to their parents, they will also hopefully learn something in the process.” It’s about knowing what signs to look for and what questions to ask, breaking down the taboo of regular self-checks, and ultimately taking control of one’s own health.
The raw emotional experiences that come in dealing with cancer don’t always have to be so heavy either. The charity’s light-hearted, hopeful attitude and humorous campaigns show that laughter is indeed the best medicine there is.
