The ribbon is a symbol of awareness and support. It was originally used in the early mid-1900s in a United States military marching song. The song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon”, inspired the wife of a hostage held in Iran from 1979-1981 to use the yellow ribbon to show support for hostages and to remind others of their service to their country. Later, during the Gulf War, the symbol evolved into a reminder of all men and women serving the country abroad.
A decade later, AIDS activists turned the yellow ribbon red. From then on every charitable health cause had one. It became so popular that the New York Times called 1992 “The Year of the Ribbon.” The meaning behind the ribbon depends on its color or colors. Many causes often share each color.
Ribbon colors representing cancer:
Clear, Pearl or White : Lung
Blue : Mouth
Orange : Leukemia
Yellow : Bone
Lime : Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Purple : Testicular
Periwinkle : Stomach and Esophageal
Pink and Blue : Male Breast
Gray : Brain
Black : Melanoma
Pink : Breast
Green : Kidney
Teal : Ovarian
Teal and White : Cervical
