I posted this as my status on Facebook today.
“I know nobody will read my status but sometimes, when I’m bored, I get wrapped up in a sleeping bag and lather butter all over myself and slide around the kitchen floor pretending I’m a slug.”
I have to fess up. It wasn’t mine. It was a Facebook ‘share linky’ shared by a friend. One of those things you’re asked to pass on if you receive it. I’ve done a bit of research since then and found out that it was first posted by Regina Doherty and it went viral.
Anyway at the time I didn’t know this and, to my surprise it got a lot of ‘likes’ and comments on my profile and people said it made them laugh. However, to go back a step, shortly after ‘liking’ the status on my friend’s timeline I received a message from her saying:
“Dear fellow slug victim, I am sorry. I have lost at this game and now so have you! You liked or commented on my status so you must now post the following message as your status to continue the game for breast cancer awareness month (unless you have lost your sense of humor). you’ve been caught as I have and now need to repost this as your status to highlight awareness for breast cancer.”
Well, I did as I was told. Laughed every time I read it again, thinking what a funny image it conjured up, and wondered if I should similarly message the peeps who ‘liked’ it on my status.
I thought long and hard. How would this in anyway raise awareness of breast cancer? Then I thought well maybe it had made me think about breast cancer today and the people I know who’ve been affected by it, and (for me) the importance of getting regular mammograms as I get older, and perhaps this continual niggling kind of awareness will make me more inclined to donate when I’m asked, or when perhaps a cancer advert urges me to reach for my credit card.
So I duly sent the message off as a couple of round robin messages to my ‘likers’ telling them they’d been ‘had’ and asking them to repost.
Gulp, yes even the boys.
Pffftt. Silly thing to do.
Seems I know a bunch of feisty females and I love them. But they weren’t having any of it.
“How will this cure breast cancer?”
Err, I don’t know.
“What a silly thing to send out! Why not just tell people about it!”
Now you come to mention it, yes of course that would be better.
“How does this raise awareness of breast cancer?”
Err, I don’t know.
When I explained my rather weak motives about getting mammograms done regularly someone else suggested that I should rather, “Listen to my body,” as she felt the safety of radiation from scans can be questionable.
Gosh, I hadn’t given that much thought. Better get more informed. Get more AWARE! (But it won’t stop me having regular mammograms I thought.)
My feisty female friends of course were right to raise objections and I felt a bit maggot-like. White-ish cream, not breast cancer pink for sure.
The Real Deal
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a chance to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. It’s a time to think about people who have suffered, reach out, and also think about how we can be more aware ourselves.
How to really raise awareness for breast cancer
So although the Facebook thingy got a conversation going around breast cancer awareness, it also goes to show, that really these Forward-On type Facebook Things really do piss people off, and I’m kind of not surprised.
Mostly they piss me off too and I do nothing with them.
Do I wish I’d not sent it? Well to begin with I though, “Crikey. Now I’ve got egg on my face. What an idiot!”
A little later I changed my mind.
Because now what I should do is as blogging friend Rae from I Opened My Mouth and it Ran Away With Me suggested.
Get in a sleeping bag, slather myself with butter, slither around the floor like a slug – and post video evidence on UTube.
But For a Donation. What do you reckon – would that make a difference for breast cancer awareness?
Addendum to this post May 2015
I do want this post to raise awareness for cancer, so I’ll be updating it whenever I can. If you’d like to embark on a charity walk or bike ride to raise money for cancer research in 2016 here’s a way to get involved – The Weekend to End Women’s Cancers
Perth RIDE : 1300 99 7433 Perth WALK: 1300 999 255
Melb RIDE : 1300 00 7433 Melb WALK: 1300 229 255
Bris RIDE: 1300 117 433 Bris WALK: 1300 229 255
Syd RIDE: 1300 337 433 Syd WALK: 1300 339 255
If you want to read more about how the whole Slug status started you might like this article from The Independent Irish News.
(Although as of Oct 20th 2014 M. Nunley has suggested it was first posted on Facebook by Amber Pringle prior to Regina’s post – anyone have any updates?)
On the blog you might also like to read: What Makes Us Happy? for some feisty female responses about Happiness.
But before you go, I know how easy it is to lose touch. Why not sign up for the Lifestyle Fifty Newsletter and receive inspiration, updates and all the new posts. Just fill in the form below (Your email will not be shared).
What makes us Happy?
Perhaps you could explain the connection between the sleeping bag slug and breast cancer?? Just wondering wot the connection is.
Wasn’t started by Regina Doherty. It appeared at least two weeks earlier (Sept 30) on another Facebook user’s page, verbatim.
Hi Micheal, That’s interesting … do you know who? I’d like to credit them. I could only trace it back to Regina via the Irish Independent interview.
Your threat to slide around like a slug opened a real can of worms 🙂
Ha Ha, yes, Jan 🙂 and caterpillars and centipedes and snails too I think 😉 lol
I am still not sure how the original comment was about breast cancer, but it looks like it got a conversation going anyway…..I used to be involved with a group of breast cancer survivors through dragon boating – what a feisty lot of women they were! Perhaps having breast cancer made them more aware of not taking anything for granted and to just get out and have a go – and do it while you can.
Yes, I didn’t expect it to get such a conversation going Jill, but it looks as if I now have to do what the meme says! How wonderful to be involved with the pink dragon boating ladies who were so feisty and ready to have a go.
I have to admit, Jo, I saw your status update on FB and I knew it was a hook into something so I didn’t like it or leave a comment because I have been caught before! I did not know it was about breast cancer awareness, which is a very serious issue. As is prostate cancer. I know/knew people affected by both. So ladies, and men, check your bits. Listen to your body, get it investigated and then get it treated.
Great advice! Thanks Carol !
An interesting evolution of discourse Jo …. awareness and ‘listening to your body’ is a very important message here.
Yes, as my friend says, “She Speaks” Thanks for popping by Ingrid 🙂
Brilliant, I’ll keep a look out on tube xxxx
Haha Rae 🙂 All your doing!