Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation
2
T
heholidays arebeforeme
as Iwrite this.Knowing
itwon’t be readuntil theNew
Year, it forcesme to look
ahead.Looking aheadhas
beendifficult forme sincemy
diagnosis ofCTCL twenty
years ago. For the first year,
Iwouldnot commit toplans
any further ahead than a
month—definitelymakes it difficult for
a family toplan vacations like that!
In someways itwas ablessing. I learned to live in
themoment, enjoying everyday to the fullest (or at least
making an effort). I learnedwhatwas important tome
and learned thatmaybe someof the things I spent a lot of
timeonwerenot that important.
Themore I learned aboutmydisease and found
treatments that finally started towork forme, I could
start thinking further into the future.TheCTCL-MF
listserv showedme that therewereothers out there that
werenot doing aswell as Iwas and some thatweredoing
fine.Wewere all just trying to figureout how to take care
of families and livenormal productive lives.
I justmadeplans for nextNovember. Iwas having
a lot of trouble committing to this event until I realized
that I still had those feelings of being afraid to look ahead.
Having adiagnosis of cancer is hard to forget, but it
doesn’t have to stop you from looking forward. Youmay
have tomake some changes and someof them canbe
challenging, but looking ahead ismuchmore fun than
worrying aboutwhatmight happen.
When it comes to theCutaneousLymphoma
Foundation,we are always looking forward.We keep
growingour programs for patients and I’m really excited
about theupcoming launchof our newwebsite thatwill
havemore information that is easier to find. I’m also excit-
ed about all of our plans for 2011,which include a 3-year
strategicplan.WOW—Iguess looking ahead isn’t all
that bad!
From the President
A
fter beingwith the
Foundation for approxi-
matelyninemonths, I feel even
more energized and excited
about all thatwe aredoing
tohelp thepatientswe serve.
Timehas really flownby!
Wehave accomplishedmuch
together, andwe aremoving
forward steadfastly to accom-
plishmuchmore.
All ofwhatwe areworking to accomplish is fueled
by the knowledge that, patient bypatient,we arehelping
tomake sure that eachpersonwith cutaneous lymphoma
gets thebest carepossible.
There really isn’t aday that goes by at the
Foundationwherewedon’t learnof someonewhose life is
improved in someway – and, sometimes literally saved—
becauseof resources thatweremadepossible through the
Foundation.Whether it’s apatient locating a specialist
throughour physician referral network, apatientwho
learns of ahelpful itchproduct viaour listserv, a caregiver
whophones us to receive counseling about how tohelp
her lovedone, or throughdozens of otherways they
receive assistance, it’s verygratifying toknow that our
collectivework ismaking adramatic, positive and life-
changingdifference for our patients.
Within thepages of this newsletter youwill read
about thepeoplewho are inspiringourwork: patients
who arebattling this toughdisease yet overcoming their
obstacleswith courage, tenacity and a joyful spirit regard-
less of their cancer diagnosis; physicianswho, despite
their busy schedules,make time for furthering themission
of theFoundation; and supporterswho, through their
generosity,makeourworkpossible.
In closing, Iwant to thank you –our newsletter read-
er and championof our cause – for being apart of our
Foundation family.Eachday, aswe conduct thebusiness
of theFoundation, it humbles us toknow that there are
somanydedicated ambassadors and supporterswho care
about theworkwedo.We treasure and cherish you, and
I invite you tobe in touchwithme anytime to share your
thoughts or to letme know if youwould like tobecome
more involved inourwork.
From theChief ExecutiveOfficer
Judy Jones
Jennifer Viano
