Why Do We Need a CURE?

Why do we need to become involved in an organization like CURE? The answer is simple yet complicated. Because no one can face fear, pain, uncertainty, and isolation of any type of cancer alone.

I am a 15-year survivor of blood cancer and did not know about CURE for the first five years. When I told my oncologist I wanted to author some articles about cancer, she suggested CURE. I started writing and one article went into another one and still another one. My articles became therapeutic for me and 250 articles and nine years later I am part of the family.

But CURE is about so much more than authoring articles. A fountain of information on every kind of cancer is at my fingertips. I truly appreciate MDS (Myelodysplastic Foundation), AAMDS (Aplastic Anemia and MDS Association) and specialized organizations and have written for these places. But CURE has information on every type of cancer. Whenever someone recently diagnosed with cancer contacts me, I always guide them to CURE. CURE has its finger on the pulse of the latest research which is so important. But it is more than that. Sometimes the web editors arrange Zoom meetings of all the writers. I get to see actual people I have learned about in the articles. To my surprise some of them even live in my state. CURE is an information source for patients, caregivers and medical professionals.

Since people can contact me by email though my website, I frequently receive questions from other survivors. I find people who have rare cancer. Some of them I have gotten to know so well we exchange Christmas cards! One of the most poignant emails came from a doctor in the Middle East. His father had MDS and he wanted to bring him to the U.S. for medical care. He asked me where to go. I told him I was not an MD but did get my care from the Cleveland Clinic. I hooked him up with a contact at MDS Foundation, who has a list of all the places across the country that treat MDs. He wrote back he had decided on the Cleveland Clinic, and I never heard from him again.

I got another email and later joined a Zoom call with someone who was under pressure to undergo a bone marrow transplant. I described in my articles why I decided against one and he asked how I made my decision. I explained I was a lot older than him, he had a more aggressive form of MDS, and I was not a medical doctor. I did advise him to get a second opinion, and he had already set up an appointment. I hope I helped him by reinforcing his idea.

The editors at CURE often go beyond with their writers by nice tokens of their appreciation. One time they sent us a surprise box with t-shirts and water bottles and other goodies. What a wonderful surprise to receive in the mail!

I published a book titled “Life is Short - Eat the Donut” with my first 26 articles I wrote for CURE. However, I now direct people to my website where they can read them all for free!

I recently received the honor of being asked by CURE editors to be on a committee to help choose the Extraordinary Healer Award for oncology nursing sponsored by CURE and Oncology Nurse News. It was a dark time in my life personally with serious health problems going on along with the bleak world outlook and I was depressed.

However, I accepted and was treated to a thrill of a lifetime. I read 73 nominations about nurses who went above and beyond and were nominated by their coworkers for this prestigious award. This project took quite a chunk of time but truly reinstated my faith in humans again. The first thing I said to the committee on Zoom was every one of these nurses was deserving this award. I read voraciously about how they set up food cupboards for the families in the area, began support groups for youth and elderly patients with cancer, made sure last wishes were granted to the survivors, and on and on. Many also provided community services and set up projects like clothing closets or teaching about early detection of cancer. They all put in tireless hours helping their patients because it was a calling.

So, what is CURE? CURE is family, a source of information, a company who cares about people with cancer and their caregivers. CURE is one of the most unique organizations in the world and I am so happy to be a part of them.

This piece reflects the author’s personal experience and perspective. For medical advice, please consult your health care provider.

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