YOU RALLIED AND YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE

There is only one take away from Partnering for Cures.  Collaboration.  Actually, there are many take aways but the running theme is collaboration.  The name fits.  It's about ideas and it's about turning the ideas into reality.  It's working together across all sectors.  This was not a bunch of people talking to hear themselves talk.  This was brainstorming, coloring outside of the lines, using every crayon in the box and finding ways to make things happen.  It's about cancer and Alzheimers and ALS and diabetes and on and on....  I will leave later today, hopeful.  Patients matter.  Our voices matter.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the folks at Faster Cures for extending the invitation to me.  I've have learned much from sitting in on the sessions.  I hope to continue to learn and I know I will continue to advocate.

I have been so focused on what has been happening at this conference, I missed a very important comment.  Thank you, and that means ALL of you, for reading and for reaching out when I asked for your help.  Your words meant so much to me and I could only hope that "anonymous" was still reading.  I was so distracted, I missed her beautiful comment.  The thanks belongs to all of you, along with MY thanks for jumping in and offering love, caring, concern and support.

This is a follow up comment from "anonymous".... because of the love all of you so freely gave of yourselves.  It's about extending a hand.  The smallest action can have great impact.  Thank you, anonymous, for taking the time to let me know you are okay.

In case anyone missed the comment as I did, it's copied below..... and now, I've finally exhaled.  It's a sigh of relief.  The circumstances in our lives might be beyond our control, but the support of friends can ease the burden.  There should be no doubt in any of our minds as to the power of a collaborative effort.  Especially when this is the result:

I'm so sorry your friend lost her child. I have no words for this sorrow. Just tears. I'm going to try to keep going because I do think people care and sometimes that alone is enough to pull me through. Thank you for letting me voice my true feelings about what I'm calling a lesson in futility. The nice thing is that people care. People I have never met. People that have gone through it and have roughly the same problems. They care. You care. And it helps me. Thank you. Love, healing, health and caring to you all. Maybe some money too. It kind of helps.