Nothing but praise for this organization. As a stage IIIC survivor for 8 yrs. My husband called Catherine in the middle of the night looking for answers and was treated with kindness and respect.
When I recurred at my 3 yr mark she was one of the first people I called. She was more knowledgeable about some of the trials than my own doctors. She was always willing to search for answers from one of the advisory board drs if she was unable to answer a question herself.
We really feel she was our guardian angel.
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I started out as a client served. My husband found this great organization almost 4yrs ago while desperately searching for answers after receiving my stage IIIC diagnosis. Catherine spent many hours on the phone with us during our most difficult times and offered us accurate information and much needed support. I became involved in the forums when she started them, and have watched them grow into a place where people come from all over the world for support and accurate information. Although I'm currently doing well, she was the first person I turned to when I had my recur last summer. I know she works hard to keep informed of the latest developments. Great Job MIF! Shirley Z
MIF is the one website I continually recommend to individuals and families dealing with melanoma for the first time. The compassion and knowledge shared by Ms. Poole and her staff is known internationally. I will continue to share the website with anyone confronting this disease and in need of support and care.
My sister has been fighting melanoma for many years. She is a highly intelligent nurse practitioner and her husband is a doctor. They have made it their life's work to investigate treatments for this disease and pass that information on to those in need. She does that through a blog and also through forums such as MIF. If she notices an inaccurate statement concerning these treatments, she will address it with the assumption that others share her concerns. However, the founder of this site apparently does not agree with this premise. In fact, she appears to have ulterior motives. My sister corrected a grossly inaccurate statement made by the founder about the success rate of one treatment option. Instead of being appreciative that this mistake could be corrected, the founder of this site was extremely rude. This is not the first time she treated my sister poorly on this site. I made a post expressing my disappointment. This post was promptly removed and I was "banned for life" from the site. She also removed an entire thread soliciting reviews for this site. I do not feel that the founder has other's best interest at heart.
I am appalled at the utterly distasteful attacking I am seeing on here from one single disgruntled person on this date. Seems a bit over the top for them to create so many random profiles trying to attack the good supporters of this wonderful Foundation during a promotional period in which reviews were encouraged (ends in a few days). I feel that they are personally trying to take down an organization that already has now won this promotional period, and therefore these negative reviews will do nothing but show how immature they are. I hope they can find peace and leave well enough alone. All of us supporters have had enough of the hate speech being spewed across the Internet.
This is a wonderful organization that truly puts the patient first in all that they do. I have had the pleasure of volunteering at many of the annual Safe From The Sun walk/5k events, and witnessed so many patients inspired to fight together against this terrible disease. I cannot wait for the next event!
This is a wonderful organixation, a clearinghouse of information on melanoma. Cathy is a voice for those needing an advocate, at a time when both emotional as well as physical stresses can be overwhelming.
My mother is a survivor, and she received excellent help and guidance from MIF. I can't thank them enough for the valuable information and caring they have for melanoma patients. Melanoma is a scary diagnosis for a patient as well as their family, and MIF was able to make this journey less scary and more manageable.
I have been a reader of MIF for several years, as a daughter of a melanoma activist. Recently, when my mother has posted information or questions, the response by Catherine Poole has been negative, inflammatory, and vicious. Recently, the knowledge of this expert and survivor has been deleted. I do not believe that a forum filled with animosity and ignorance could be classified as a 'great non-profit.'
Chandler Rose Morris,
Proud daughter of a melanoma warrior.
Thank you Catherine Poole and MIF. You are an invaluable resource for all melanoma patients, Stages I through IV. The support provided by the forum is wonderful and the information Catherine and her board provides is the most up to date information a melanoma patient can hope for.
