About Bracelets for Cancer

Overview

Since the inception of the yellow LiveStrong wristband in 2004, awareness bracelets have become ubiquitous.There are silicone and rubber bracelets for every type of cancer, various diseases and ailments, and even political and social causes. They come in different colors and have slogans on them that correspond to the cause they represent. Other bracelets for cancer that have appeared are beaded bracelets.

History

Cancer bracelets first appeared in mainstream culture in 2004, with the Lance Armstrong Foundation's yellow LiveStrong bracelets. The purpose of the bracelets was to raise money for cancer research and to raise awareness about cancer. Over 50 million bracelets later, the trend is still strong. Other organizations saw the popularity of the bracelet and developed bracelets of their own, with proceeds going to various causes.

Function

Bracelets are an easy way to show affiliation with an organization or cause, and they are inexpensive to make and buy. They are highly visible to others, and help raise awareness in social contexts. Men, women, young people and older people can all wear them, making it a universal product. If the bracelets are sold, it is an easy way to raise funds for an organization.

Types

Although the yellow for the LiveStrong bracelets was taken from the Tour de France that Lance Armstrong participates in, different cancers use the traditional corresponding color for their awareness bracelets. The following are the different cancers and their colors: general cancer awareness is lavender. Bladder cancer, sarcoma and bone cancer are yellow. Brain cancer is grey, breast cancer is pink, cervical cancer is teal and white, childhood cancer is gold, colon cancer is dark blue, esophageal cancer and stomach cancer are periwinkle, head and neck cancer is burgundy and ivory, kidney cancer and leukemia are orange, liver cancer is emerald, lung cancer is white, lymphoma is lime, melanoma is black, multiple myeloma is burgundy, ovarian cancer is teal, pancreatic cancer and leiomyosarcoma are purple, prostate cancer is light blue, testicular cancer is orchid, thyroid cancer is teal/pink/blue, uterine cancer is peach and plum is the color used to honor caregivers (choosehope.com.)

Other Cancer Bracelets

There are other bracelets that promote cancer awareness and raise funds for cancer, and these include beaded bracelets and metal bracelets. These are sold by individuals raising money for their own treatment and medical bills, or to donate to organizations, or by different cancer groups to raise money and awareness for their cause.

Organizations

Various cancer organizations combine the color for the cancer they support with their logo or slogan. Susan G. Komen for the cure has pink bracelets, i2y has black bracelets that say "stupid cancer," Choose Hope sells colored rubber bracelets that say "Cancer Sucks," and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund sells a silver bracelet.