My Uncle Bill died of cancer. We weren't that close and didn't speak that often, but I liked him. He died when I was around the age of 12 and I remember my aunt grieving for about two years afterwards. I was hard watching her go through that -losing him and becoming a widow.
The only other person I know who has died of cancer was my grandpa Ray. That was the hardest for me. I never liked him that much -he was always stern, close-lipped, and stoic. But seeing him go from a strong, hard-working man to a feeble, folded shell of himself sitting in a wheel chair was something I'd never witnessed before. The way cancer takes your energy, your dignity, and your body. But I made peace with it. As heavy as a disease as it was, I could make peace with it.
My Grandpa Bud (my mom's dad) was recently diagnosed with cancer. My mom's upset about. She cried when she told us and yesterday went on a posting spree on Facebook for every World Cancer Day-related thing she could find. I quietly acknowledge his struggle, and hope he overcomes it.
But despite cancer and the horrible disease it is and the affects its had on my family, Rape has always been more devastating.
To date, 4 members of my family and 1 friend of mine have been raped. If rape were a disease that killed its victims it would be far more deadly than cancer could ever hope to be. But unlike cancer which acts unconsciously like the blind, detached, inhuman organism it is -Rape is caused by people. And unlike cancer which does not discriminate, Rape is targeted -usually to girls, women, and sometimes even boys.
It's becoming more and more of an issue -not just for me in my personal life but also in the world around me.
Between Woody Allen's alleged attack on his 7 year old daughter, the recent news of Super Bowl "parties" dealing out young girls to men like nacho chips, UN denouncing the Vatican for child sex abuse, and the new documentaries "Tricked" and "Flesh" which delve into sex trafficking itself in the U.S. -you can't escape this global epidemic.
And even when people, like our own president, try to make a difference by creating a task force to handle Rape on college campuses (which happens to every 1 in 5 women) problems still arise from guys who don't take the issue seriously: http://manboobz.com/2013/12/17/mens-rights-redditors-flood-occidental-colleges-online-rape-reporting-form-with-false-accusations/
I think our world has way to many issues for us not to start taking them seriously and doing something about them. I follow the YWCA of Silicon Valley, Freedom House, and the Grateful Garment Project on Facebook.
The YWCA recently created a high school program for teen boys called "My Strength" which teaches young men how to prevent Rape from happening to women they know and understanding how to mindful of the way they interact with women.
Freedom House (based out in San Francisco) takes in women and children survivors of sex trafficking and gives them a safe place begin healing their lives.
The Grateful Garment helps supply clothes to women who are taken to the hospital after a Rape. After being examined, a woman's clothes are taken into "evidence" and she ends up leaving the hospital in a thin sheet. Grateful Garment helps ensure women feel comforted and clothed after leaving the hospital.
Supporting causes like these is the first place to start. It flows out from there by supporting other causes trying to ensure women and children are protected and empowered.
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