It's National Breast Cancer Awareness month. I'm not really into the whole pink ribbon thing. Finding a cure is good, of course. How 'bout finding out why it's happening? I have a long-held interest in the issue of the environmental causes of cancer.

My friend Jenny died of breast cancer. She was featured in the outstanding documentary Rachel's Daughters. Jenny blamed her cancer on early exposure to agricultural chemicals as a child growing up in the rural South County of San Luis Obispo. My friend Lona was diagnosed with breast cancer at 22 with no family history and died at 30, leaving three kids. My friend Thea died of cancer in her 30s. And Betsy from high school and, well, the list goes on. Many of my friends and relatives have been affected. My mother-in-law and my friend Lesley are survivors, but they went through so much to stay with us. This wasn't happening when our parents were in their 20s and 30s. Their friends weren't dying of cancer.

While I support efforts to treat and cure cancer, I want more done to stop it before it starts. This means asking some tough questions regarding exposure to common chemicals we don't think twice about. Here's a link to a good organization, Breast Cancer Action. They provide excellent information and encourage us to "Do Something Besides Worry -- Educate, Agitate, Organize."

Google "cancer environmental causes" and see what you get. Pretty scary stuff.

Our friend Carol died of breast cancer this summer. She and my husband were very close friends for many years. Carol was a beautiful, bright, insightful and hilarious woman. Twenty years or so ago, my hubby and his friends helped her record some of her songs. You can download some of them here. Join me in enjoying them. Tap your foot, laugh at the cat song, nod along with the art song. Carol would approve.