Hello my friend,
How are you? I hope you are feeling better and have renewed hope.
My story is not unlike yours. You are welcome to leave comments and questions about my cancer experience and feel free to post your own experiences and questions as well.
The links to the blog site above will be under development for the next few months. Please bookmark this site and check back soon. My story is interesting, informative and sometimes funny in a scary kind of way. This welcome page was launched on August 1st, 2008.
I have made a commitment to beat this disease. There were a few close calls that had me guessing if I would have the strength needed to fight for my life. Now that I have been given a second chance I realize that I have become a better person in the process.
The long term goal for cancer86.org is to become a nonprofit organization helping those living with cancer. From my experiences I have learned there are many resources on the Internet that deal with cancer. There are personal journey blogs that detail the day-to-day experiences of cancer patients. There are web sites that are more consumer oriented; offering books, supplements, services and philosophy. Also there are hospitals, universities, cancer foundations and organizations with web sites filled with overwhelming amounts of information. When I decided I wanted to give back and help those with cancer, I wanted to create an environment for personal journeys and also have a resource that helped with other needs of cancer patients. With this in mind I decide to split those efforts into two sister sites. This site will be more focused on personal journeys and work towards becoming an organization enabling those without access to proper health care to get the treatment options they need and deserve. I have created a second web site cancer86.com to be a resource for other needs. It is also under development and hopefully both will compliment each other. If you are looking for information and resources from larger organizations please visit cancer86.com.
Sincerely, Jeff
Please feel free to contact me at jeff@cancer86.org
Until I get the blog rolling here is a little background on me. I was diagnosed with cancer on September 26th, 2006. It took another doctor to find the primary tumor in my right tonsil almost two weeks later. I was 43 years old and my first child was born 3 months earlier. Since finishing treatment and surgery I have been in remission for 1 1/2 years. I have many family members that also have been diagnosed with cancer. On my mother's side of the family five of seven siblings were diagnosed with cancer. When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer she was self-employed without health insurance. On my father's side of the family there have been several cases of cancer including my uncle who is currently winning his fight with lung cancer. I am the first head and neck cancer patient on either side of the family.
The links below are cancer sites that have great info and links as well.
Tonsil Cancer
Raph's Tonsil Cancer Home Page
How's Tom - Tonsil Cancer Site
Esophageal Cancer
Resources
Association of Online Cancer Resources
OncoLink - The web's first cancer resource
Update September 6th, 2008
First steps to forming a nonprofit were taken today. Research was done; materials and forms were purchased. Also the blog site is coming along and I have a have a few posts already.
Below are general steps that I will need to do to form a nonprofit.
1. Choose a name.
2. File articles of incorporation.
3. Apply for your IRS tax exemption.
4. Apply for a state tax exemption.
5. Draft bylaws.
6. Appoint directors.
7. Hold a meeting of the board.
8. Obtain licenses and permits.