Samuel Johnson changes the official colour of his breast cancer charity, Love Your Sister.

“My first act as Research Australia’s Advocate of the Year is to ditch the pink.”

Actor Samuel Johnson started the not-for-profit organisation Love Your Sister after his own sister’s diagnosis and continuing battle with breast cancer.

Johnson has been a fierce advocate for the cause, facing any challenge and opportunity for fundraising with tenacity, determination and spirit. He road around the country on a unicycle for goodness sake.

And as can be evidenced by his latest post on Facebook, Samuel Johnson is tackling breast cancer in 2016 with even more resolve.

“All this pink about the place is pacifying us into believing that enough is being done about our mums falling to breast cancer. My first act as Research Australia’s Advocate of the Year is to ditch the pink. I have made an executive decision without consulting my sister or our 300,000 strong village.”

Since the foundation of Love Your Sister, Sam and his sister Connie have always been open and actively engaged with their online community. But on this occasion, Sam is putting his foot down.

“We no longer use pink. It misleads us. It’s a soft colour. Nothing about bc is soft. The only colour for me that truly represents the cancer that fells our mums is black. Fuck it.”

The new Love Your Sister logo will also include silver and white, “for the hope that I refuse to abandon,” he writes.

“I’ve been playing nice for years now within the pink army,” said Johnson in an interview with Daily Mail Australia. 

“I really respect all it’s done but for me the issue is more serious than pink and no,” he said. “Not everyone died but my sister is dying and her kids are losing their mother. It’s a black and white issue.”

Connie has since seen her brother’s post and is embracing his decision. She also posted on the community’s Facebook wall, sharing a photo of herself donning the organisations new colour.

Here is what she had to say:

“Oh Sam, you little mischief-maker – sorry hon, with the kids, phone was on silent! My first reaction was ‘I love it’. I certainly don’t feel pink everyday. The black suits me just fine because although a lot of people think I’m cured or in remission, I’m not. I’m dying from this disease and that seems pretty black and white to me. I’m glad you put in the silver lining, because we all need one. If black seems a little negative or confronting, maybe that’s appropriate? 3000 women are dying every year here. And also, with the new black, we’re not giving cancer a colour – cancer doesn’t deserve a colour, and besides, our village is about way more than breast cancer now! Heaps of us here are experiencing all kinds of cancers, not to mention all the loved-ones and carers and villagers without any cancers at all! Pink doesn’t tell the whole story anymore for us. When we started this epic adventure you were too scared to talk about it to the public, let alone the media – now look at you! Go for your life, cause a kerfuffle (and just quietly, I’m proud of you) XX Connie”

But not everyone is pleased with the change, or with Johnson’s reasoning.

“I think you are wrong about the black,” commented one woman. “I have terminal breast cancer and I do not wish to link anything about cancer with black…it conjures up an image of a black terrorising beast that will slowly/or quickly invade and infiltrate my body until I am sinking in its black inky power.”

Johnson assured the community member it was not a decision he made lightly, nor one that he was convinced his family would support, but one, at least for now, he is standing by.

” I don’t want to create negativity,” he responded. “But nor do I want to see a proliferation of passive compliance. This is a true conundrum, which I will ponder very seriously. Thank you for your thoughts.”

What do you think about Samuel Johnson’s decision to ‘ditch the pink’?