I

f I remember correctly, I learned the word '€œcancer'€ before the word '€œmenstruation'€. I was in second or third grade when a schoolmate was diagnosed with leukemia. She started missing classes before skipping an entire term altogether. Upon returning, she had lost a great deal of weight and had a headscarf wrapped around her hairless head.

Mom sat me down and somehow managed to introduce the complex concepts of cancer and chemotherapy, before producing a stern '€œdon'€™t-you-dare-tease-her-for-being-bald-we-should-be-grateful-she'€™s-even-alive'€ admonition.

I was still far from fully understanding cancer when the leukemia returned and claimed her life. My understanding improved later, not only because as I grew up I read more about it but also because, sadly, it has not stopped claiming people around me. Exactly two years ago, I learned within one hour that two friends of mine had been diagnosed with cancer; only the one who had early-stage breast cancer is still with us today. The one with more advanced ovarian cancer lost her battle last year.

Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are the leading illnesses killing women worldwide, after stroke and heart disease. Yet it is sad to see how so-called metropolitan women around me are either unaware of these statistics or neglect the simple medical procedures to have themselves checked.

The same women who are so up-to-date with the latest information regarding fashion, business, cuisine, skincare, parenting and politics, all fed to them via their cool gadgets. Their excuses run the gamut from '€œOh, the procedure is uncomfortable'€, to '€œI'€™m scared they'€™ll find something'€.

Yes, some medical procedures may be a tad uncomfortable, but those minutes of discomfort are worth enduring if you just think about the long years of good health to spend with your loved ones later. Especially a breast exam, which is a simple method of self-checking that can be done while taking a shower '€” and is far less uncomfortable than a facial peel or Brazilian wax that many women voluntarily undergo for aesthetic reasons.

Better not to know, so as not to worry yourself or family? Really? Wouldn'€™t you or your family be much better off if an anomaly was discovered early and treated with better odds, instead of at a later stage when the fighting chances are dismal or non-existent?

The logic is simple. While your life is inarguably yours, besides watching your kids grow up, it carries a lot of potential perhaps beyond your present imaginings; and so you owe it to your precious self to preserve it. And preservation starts with knowing what to manage, not by playing blind.

If you haven'€™t had a medical check-up, there'€™s no better time than now for a breast exam.

Long spoken about in hushed tones like a taboo, breast cancer only started to be discussed openly in the US by the 1950s. It then gained traction due to the successful campaign on AIDS awareness in the 1980s, and it was institutionalized by the American Cancer Society and a pharmaceutical company producing breast-cancer drugs in 1985 during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The pink ribbon arrived in 1991, when the Susan G. Komen Foundation distributed simple pink ribbons to participants of a New York City race for breast-cancer survivors. It was launched on the global stage two years later when Evelyn Lauder founded the Breast Cancer Foundation and started featuring the pink ribbon on counters of her husband'€™s family'€™s famous cosmetics brand, Estée Lauder.

The world has caught up with the pink ribbon movement. Every October in major cities worldwide, including Indonesia, you can find medical and social activities to raise breast cancer awareness. Bali has hosted a walk or two while this coming Sunday, Jakarta will hold a race (check: jakartagoespink.com).

I'€™m aware that there'€™s some criticism of the pink ribbon as being a superficial '€œfeel-good'€ movement, as well as the fact that it has been hijacked by a few brands that are linked to cancer-inducing chemicals or lie about donating their sales proceeds to the cause.

While I reserve a few choice expletives for people who steal from research funds designated to battle a fatal disease and I wouldn'€™t blink if they were thrown into a deserted dungeon, I still think the pink ribbon is useful to raise awareness in emerging countries like Indonesia, where women are busier getting manicures than mammograms, or for raising funds in developed countries, where women are statistically more susceptible to the disease.

I even think that more '€œfeel-good'€ communities should adopt the cause. How many of us have laughed at the cliché of beauty pageant contestants wishing for world peace? These pageants attract millions of loyal followers, men and women alike, who whenever they tune in are in a jolly mood that makes them more open to messages.

On a smaller scale, the Indonesian Heart Foundation has done its bit by hosting a show during Jakarta Fashion Week, which is not only one of the most coveted events in town but also raises funds through an on-site auction.

Instead of flip-flopping from one trendy cause to another, it would be more effective if Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Indonesia officially championed awareness for women-specific cancers. These are our diseases '€” we should become better ambassadors for them.

Not a beauty queen? Hate pink? Start small and simple. Get yourself checked '€” then get your friends to check. Today. Pretty pinky please.

Lynda Ibrahim is a Jakarta-based writer and consultant, with a penchant for purple, pussycats and pop culture.