T-shirt sloganeering
I have been going to White Sox games since 1951 and have quite a collection of Sox shirts from several years (“Sox in the City,” Oct. 12). My favorite is a bootleg not available at the ballpark or any sports store. My husband had it made for me and it says “Sox in the City.” It always elicits lots of comments when I wear it to a game. I am wearing a different Sox shirt to my school every day during the playoffs, but my principal frowned on that one!
Go, Sox!
Sylvia Cordes
Woodridge
Men and breast cancer
I read “Etheridge’s aim: Inspire survivors” (Oct. 12). What I find most interesting is that not only the song lyrics, but all the interviews, articles, etc. that I’ve encountered surrounding “I Run for Life” all fail to mention that breast cancer is not just a women’s disease. Men are victims too. I know this because the father of my children died of breast cancer in April 2002. My son, now 18, and my daughter, now 15, have lived with the usually incredulous comments like “Your dad died from what?” and “Men get breast cancer?”
I was surprised to find only one charitable foundation focused on raising awareness of male breast cancer and supporting those who have it, The John W. Nick Foundation (www.johnwnickfoundation.org/index.html).
Last month, I participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. It was quite inspiring and healing, as is Melissa’s song. My kids and my partner met me at the finish line and an interesting thing happened during the closing ceremonies. For the first time that I can recall, my children heard in a public venue that we lose fathers and sons, brothers and uncles to breast cancer as well.
I’m writing you to ask that if you have the opportunity, please help raise awareness to male breast cancer. It could save a man’s life!
And if there is anyway you can let Ms. Etheridge know that, although I’m sure unintentionally, she has excluded a large group breast cancer patients, victims and survivors.
Meghan E. Sullivan
Waukegan
Keeping options open
Thank you to the Chicago Tribune and Cheryl terHorst for having the courage and foresight to bring attention to the provocative issues raised by my latest book, “Unraveled” (“Selfish or Selfless? Society has a hard time understanding a mother’s decision to relinquish custody of her kids,” Sept. 28). Divorce is never easy, and for those loving parents facing difficult and painful custody decisions, the more options they have, the better the chance that they will be able to reconstellate the form of their family in a way that works best for all concerned.
I continue to be amazed that, despite the strides we’ve made as a culture to value and empower fathers who wish to be active participants in their children’s daily lives, we still cling stridently to the idea that mothers are the sole, best primary custodial parents for children whose parents divorce, no matter what.
Maria Housden
Fair Haven, N.J.
Quotas and diversity
Your story in WomanNews titled “A Desire To Serve,” (Sept. 14) was interesting. I feel the story was well written with one true comment: “Once you prove yourself, there is no difference.”
As a male firefighter/paramedic with more than 25 years on the job, I have seen my share of women firefighters come and go. Unfortunately, the vast majority of those women could not physically perform the duties firefighter and paramedics face daily.
Often, women are thrust into these positions to fill quota gaps and make villages appear politically correct in their hiring. In fairness, I have seen the male counterparts with the same lack of ability, though less common.
Again, the proof is always in the pudding, or in this case, the lifting. Those who can perform and prove themselves will find little difference in agility or attitude between the sexes; unfortunately, people will be injured (firefighters as well as the public) in the name of diversity, until village/city managers adopt the “need to prove yourself” attitude.
Garry Watkins
Indian Head Park
