Yellow Fever

[Siji]

I got mine awhile ago at a bike shop. Had no idea what it was for at the time, but the guy behind the counter told me it was for Lance Armstrong's cancer foundation. Having lost several family members to cancer, I picked one up.. At that time I'd never seen anyone wearing one or anything, but figured what the hell. Now they're everywhere, as the article below states.. Do you think they're getting so popular because of a fad or are more people really supporting the foundation?

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http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/index.ss ... 627210.xml

Yellow fever

They're bright yellow, like the jerseys worn by cycling legend Lance Armstrong. They're tough, like Armstrong's battle against cancer in 1996. And they raise money for cancer research. LiveStrong bracelets are easy to see, but now almost impossible to buy.

Actor Robin Williams has one. So does Will Smith and even former President Clinton. Presidential candidate John Kerry had one on when he visited hurricane victims in Florida last week.

Baton Rouge golden girl Carly Patterson wore one on the day after she won her Olympic all-around gymnastics gold medal. And Justin Gatlin became the fastest man in the world wearing one in his 100-meter victory Sunday. In fact, if you look closely at the athletes in Athens, you'll see them everywhere.

But anyone now looking for his own distinctive yellow Lance Armstrong LiveStrong wristband may be out of luck.

For all practical purposes, they're gone -- at least for the moment.

"We felt confident that we would be able to sell the initial 5 million bracelets, but what's happened since has taken us by complete surprise," said Michelle Milford, a spokeswoman for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which created, with Nike, the bright yellow elastic bands as a tribute to cyclist Lance Armstrong's fight against cancer. By selling the bands for $1 each, the foundation aimed to raise awareness about cancer as well as money for cancer research.

By the foundation's estimates, since their May release, more than 9 million wristbands have been sold via its Web site, http://www.laf.org, and through national retailers -- Macy's, Nordstrom, Foot Locker, Finish Line, Dick's Sporting Goods and Nike Town stores, which are now for the most part sold out of the wristbands. Milford said the distribution center is working to catch up on the back orders, and if all goes well, a majority should be filled by the end of August.

Earlier this month, at an Armstrong homecoming event in Austin, Texas, to celebrate his sixth Tour de France win, the cyclist spoke about how happy he is to see people across the world wearing the LiveStrong bracelets, Milford said. And, she added, he said he'd been asked when he plans to take off his own bracelet and the answer is: Never.

Armstrong became an influential spokesman in the fight against cancer after winning his own battle with testicular cancer in 1996. At one point, Armstrong had tumors in his lungs and brain, and was given less than a 50-50 shot at surviving.

He beat the odds, and returned to cycling's Super Bowl, the Tour de France, in 1999. He won that race, and five more after it, a feat unmatched in the long history of the race. In the process, he established himself simultaneously as the world's most famous cancer survivor, and one of its greatest athletes.

Like many of the staff members and volunteers at the foundation, Milford said she believes the bracelets are more than just a passing fad.

"Initially we did receive a lot of celebrity support that has certainly helped raise awareness about what the bracelets stand for, but from many of the people we're receiving orders from, we've heard how directly cancer has affected their lives," said Milford, who also credits the low cost and easy wearability of the wristbands as reasons for the project's overwhelming success. "Universally, many people have lost someone and have felt the effects of fighting cancer."

Val Slicho, 44, a New Orleans resident who recently lost a family member to breast cancer, said he has been looking all over town for more LiveStrong bracelets to pass on to mourning family members. He and his son have had wristbands since they came out, but he didn't expect that the supply would go so fast. Otherwise, he said, he would have stocked up and made purchases for everyone in his family.

At the foundation, Milford said, they've heard from many families in similar situations. She said she finds it very touching that the Armstrong bands are being passed out at funerals across the country -- as well as at weddings. The office has even received word that some couples are requesting, in lieu of gifts, that donations be made to the foundation. Just what is inspiring so many people to do such a thing?

Slicho credits Armstrong for inspiring his family.

"No matter how young or old you are, whatever your race, Armstrong is a real hero, a mentor," Slicho said. "The cause, cancer research, is just something that is good for everyone. It's something that all of us are affected by somehow and we need to do all we can to support it."

Davina Bloom, 24, and Sara Wenande, 28, weren't even aware of the trendy status of their yellow bands until strangers started coming up to them and asking about the meaning of their bracelets. And, more important, where and when they got them.

"We have a family member who was just recently diagnosed with cancer, so my brother purchased some off the Web site for everyone in our family. That's why we got them, to support our family," said Bloom, who expects that unlike the recently popular Kabbalah bracelets sported by Madonna, the Armstrong bands won't fade away so easily.

"To us, it really has a meaning; we're not just wearing them to have something cool on. As long as we're fighting cancer in our family, we'll be wearing them."

Wenande said it wasn't until recently that she noticed others were sporting the bracelets. She confessed that she thought her family members were the only people wearing the bands. That is, until she started being deluged with questions about where to find more.

"It's amazing how many people want one," Wenande said. "You'd think it would be easy to mass produce something so simple, but from what I've heard no one can find them anymore."

Most stores in the New Orleans area are out of the bracelets. Foot Locker may get a limited replenished supply, according to a national buyer for the chain, who wouldn't go on record about the exact number. The buyer said Foot Locker never received its complete original order of 1 million units; thus, some stores may get a small number of wristbands once the back orders are filled by the foundation.

In the meantime, however, Milford advises potential customers to hold tight and not turn to auction sites or third-party sales as a means to purchase a bracelet. While such a high demand was not expected, she said, the foundation is doing everything it can to ensure that everyone who wants a wristband will get one.

"By buying one or even more of the wristbands off of an auction site or another individual, there is no way to guarantee that the proceeds will get back to the LAF," Milford said. "By doing so you're not only violating the law, but also violating the whole spirit of the campaign. Don't take the risk -- be patient."

[masteen]

Don't title a thread yellow fever and then make it about a cancer foundation! While it's a great cause, I was expecting asian sluts.

I DEMAND ASIAN SLUTS!!!

[noel]

I wear mine for my best Friend's Dad who died because of lung and lymphatic cancer August 8th, 1999.

I think a lot of people are wearing it as a fad, but it doesn't hurt anything if they are. All the money is going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

If you look around at some of the organizations that rate charities, the LAF is constantly rated as being the most efficient at getting money to the cause, not tying it up in administrative costs.

For those that have lost someone to cancer, or are living with someone with cancer now, I encourage you to check out http://www.laf.org.

[Sylvus]

"By buying one or even more of the wristbands off of an auction site or another individual, there is no way to guarantee that the proceeds will get back to the LAF," Milford said. "By doing so you're not only violating the law, but also violating the whole spirit of the campaign. Don't take the risk -- be patient."

Huh? Since when can't I buy a fucking bracelet off of someone else if I want to? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Other than that, it's nice that people are supporting cancer reasearch, but I think that most of them are doing it strictly for the fad or to look cool. I'm sure there were cancer foundations you could have donated a dollar to before they started giving away a bracelet to wear when you did it. How many of those 9 million people do you think donated to one of those when they didn't get some sort of hip, wearable acknowledgement that they made a donation?

[Tenuvil]

I wear mine to support Lance and to honor my grandfathers, both of whom died of lung cancer.

And no, reselling wristbands on eBay is certainly not against the law. The person selling them in all likelihood bought a mass quantity for $1 apiece through the Lance Armstrong Foundation so LAF already got its payment for them. If demand is high, supply is low and the market will support people paying a premium to get one of these, that's not against the law, it's good business.

[Boogahz]

Made an extra donation to the LAF for a batch. It wasn't so I could be cool and have more than other people, but it was for the research the Foundation supports. My grandfather outlived 2 wives due to their cancer. The memory of each, and the help that the last had over the first (over a decade apart) is just one reason I wanted to show support. The bracelets just came with the donation at the time.

[Sheryl]

tru ordered some, i have one tied to my bag and he wears his all the time. we've both watched relatives fight cancer and i don't foresee removing mine anytime soon.

i don't really care if it's a fad for most people. it's successfully raising money and awareness and that's a good thing.

[Truant]

I won't pretend to be able to answer why most people are wearing theirs, as the poll asks. That's a loaded question. But I voted for why I wear mine.

I wear mine in tribute and memory of my family members who fought cancer. I wear mine in dedication to everyone out there fighting it now. I wear it as a symbol to those people I meet during the day who may be struggling with the reality of themselves or their loved ones going through cancer right now. (You would not believe the amount of coworkers or customers who see my bracelet, and start a conversation basically asking advice for what to do, what can they expect of treatment and recovery, how to cope). I wear it in support of every child that the Lance Armstrong Foundation touches, and in hope that they are able to help more. I wear it to say thank you to Lance for being such an inspiration for so many survivors to keep going.

My family has a very high risk history of cancer. I would bet a good portion of my savings that by the time I am 50, I will have had, or will be going through cancer. This is something to raise awareness, and in a case such as this, that is never bad. It takes the efforts of many, many people to make advancements against something like cancer, and this will more than likely generate more support for the foundations and organizations that are able to make those advancements.

[Tenuvil]

I wear mine in tribute and memory of my family members who fought cancer. I wear mine in dedication to everyone out there fighting it now. I wear it as a symbol to those people I meet during the day who may be struggling with the reality of themselves or their loved ones going through cancer right now. (You would not believe the amount of coworkers or customers who see my bracelet, and start a conversation basically asking advice for what to do, what can they expect of treatment and recovery, how to cope). I wear it in support of every child that the Lance Armstrong Foundation touches, and in hope that they are able to help more. I wear it to say thank you to Lance for being such an inspiration for so many survivors to keep going.

Well said.

FYI I voted as to why I wear mine rather than trying to determine crowd psychology (or more accurately, mob mentality).

[Siji]

I'm pleasantly surprised by the responses. gg people.