This photoessay offers a look at young breast cancer survivors from Alabama who persevered through diagnosis and treatment despite economic hardship and social barriers. The story is unique not only in its poignant depiction of the everyday settings in which young cancer survivors experience their disease, but also by the glimpse it offers into the struggles that lie behind the pink ribbon cheeriness of much breast cancer coverage. The essay is timely on a couple of fronts: 1) its commentary on the necessity of health insurance for, in this instance, young Americans who may not anticipate a serious illness, and 2) the inequities in the health care system revealed during the 50 year anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement, much of which played out in Birmingham and other parts of Alabama. While the point is not played up in the published article, I’d argue that these women’s experiences suggest the socioeconomic barriers that prevail in Alabama (and much of the nation) in 2013.
