My Nonprofit Reviews

I first met Lynn Lane, the Executive Director of Voices of Survivors, in August of 2009 when he relocated back to Houston to focus on growing the foundation. As a 7-year survivor, I took great interest in learning more about his work in sharing stories of hope and survivorship. Indeed, the first evening after meeting Lynn I spent a solid 3 hours online reading through story after story written by individual survivors. The writings are candid, raw and often emotional. They help you see past statistics and into the hearts and minds of people who are living with or have overcome cancer. Some made me cry, many made me laugh, and all of them touched my heart. Then Lynn asked if I would like to share my story. I wasn't super confident about sharing until he said this: "You have a powerful voice. You should share it." OK, I'll try. It was the most challenging piece I have ever written. How do you fit 7 years into words? How can my story of survivorship be molded into paragraphs? After weeks of trying, my story unfolded into words and Lynn put it on the website in the "Written Word" section. Just the practice of writing the piece was therapeutic somehow. I also hoped that my story would reach anyone who might need it. I wanted other survivors of MDS to know they are not the only one. For other young adult cancer survivors, you have something in common. In the weeks after my story was published, three people surviving with MDS have contacted me. A mini support group. One of the things I most admire about Lynn is his accessibility - he is widely available to have coffee, to speak on the phone and is very responsive on email. There are not many Executive Directors who will take your call at 9pm if you need someone to listen. Lynn is also a champion of self advocacy: You are your own best advocate. That's a powerful message, especially in this age of insurance giant and corporate driven health care. He truly cares about the individual survivor. I truly appreciate the work of Lynn Lane and the Voices of Survivors. If you are a cancer survivor or if you know someone affected by cancer I hope you read through and find hope in the stories of survivorship.

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