The Live STRONG Wrist Band

Hi...

A few of you guys must have noticed the colourful wristbands worn by a few of the guys with the Live Strong logo on them... (Me being one of the wearers...)

These bands might turn out to be more fad and fashion than fact if
people wear these without knowing the meaning of what you're standing for/against.

Anyways... I thought I'd get to the root of the matter and knowing
about the different colours signifying different issues... It was
really a simple issue of Googling to find out what I needed to know...

This is what I found out...

1. These bands were released in 2004 by Nike and Lance Armstrong to
support general awareness of cancer... As well documented... Lance
Armstrong overcame testicular cancer that had actually metastasised
into his body to win the Tour De France two more times before he
retired... He started the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Lance
Armstrong Foundation (LAF) believes that in the battle with cancer,
unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything.
Founded in 1997, the LAF provides the practical information and tools
people living with cancer need to Live Strong.

By the summer of 2005, the yellow Live Strong wristband had also
become extremely popular in other countries, especially Mexico and Canada.

2. The bracelets are yellow and made of silicone rubber, with the
motto "Live Strong" (rendered on the bracelet as "LIVESTRONG") on
them. The band is part of the Wear Yellow Live Strong educational
program, intended to support cancer victims and survivors and raise
awareness about cancer. The band sells in packs of 10, 100, and 1200
as part of an effort to raise $5 million for the Lance Armstrong
Foundation in cooperation with Nike. Individual bands sell for US$1 each.

As of May 2005, over 50 million wristbands have been purchased.

3. Why Yellow??? Yellow was chosen for its importance in professional
cycling, especially as the color of the yellow jersey of the Tour de
France. Or in his own words... "Yellow wakes me up in the morning.
Yellow gets me on the bike everyday. Yellow has taught me the true
meaning of sacrifice. Yellow makes me suffer. Yellow is the reason I'm
here."

4. Many fake bands have been released to catch in on the 'fad' of
wearing these bands... But the original ones are still Yellow and
still have Live STRONG stamped on the synthetic rubber material!

5. The Livestrong Wristbands have inspired numerous other wristbands
for charities and various political causes, including wristbands for
breast cancer (pink), diabetes (various colors) and epilepsy (half
blue, half red). The idea of wearing a band to support a cause has
made many different colours to signify various causes... The following
are a few...

[White] Right to life, Free speech, Alzheimer's
[Gray] Diabetes
[Black] Mourning, melanoma
[Orange] Hunger, lupus, racial tolerance
[Gold] Childhood cancer
[Red] Aids, blood donor, substance abuse, tobacco-free kids
[Pink] Breast cancer
[Purple] Sexual/domestic violence
[Light blue] Prostate cancer
[Medium blue] Drunk driving, beat bullying
[Dark blue] Child abuse, colon cancer
[Dark green] Ecology, leukemia, organ donor
[Lime green] Medical malpractice
[Yellow] Support the troops, general cancer

Hopefully this'll shed a light into the matter of why people wear
these bands... As for me... I'm getting the Yellow, and Red bands...
(Anyone noticed Sreesanth wearing Yellow, Light Blue, Red and White bands?)

This one's for you Bugs...

Luv,
Nelson