As October rolls along, with its endless pink ribbons and pep rallies for breast cancer awareness, Andersen’s old tale comes to mind as an apt metaphor for what it is like to live with breast cancer. If you go to one of the pep rallies, also known as “Race for the Cure” events put on by Komen, you may be left with the impression that breast cancer is an illness akin to a bad case of the flu. Go to the doctor, do a bit of treatment, maintain a super-duper attitude and voila! you are a “Survivor.” Good as new, bye-bye cancer.