My very first blog - a bit nervous

Hi,

Craig Lustig here. I've done my best to delay, procrastinate, and avoid this, but my kind co-worker, Jess, has promised me it won't be too painful. Reminds me of what the dentist says before he begins drilling. And I keep questioning who really wants to read what I have I to say.

Let me introduce myself. I'm a 14-year pediatric brain tumor survivor, diagnosed as a young adult. 2 years of mostly unpleasant medical procedures, including a recurrence of the cancer, but I've been fortunate to have good health for the last dozen years.

Like many other cancer survivors I faced the questions of what direction my life would take after cancer treatment and I was deemed "in remission." This second phase of my cancer journey took me from living in New York City, working in advertising to being an active volunteer with several cancer groups, going to graduate school, and ultimately moving to Washington, DC to enter a fellowship program at the National Institutes of Health. Fast forward a bit, I am currently the Executive Director of the Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy, where I've been for close to 5 years.

My goal is to post a blog once a week, and share something about the work of the Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy (CCCA). I'll also share recent articles of interest to survivors in their teens, twenties and thirties, and alert you to legislation in Congress, or other activities at the Federal and State level that impacts cancer survivors.

For this to be really successful, I want and need your feedback. What's important to you as a cancer survivor, family member or friend? If you've been part of a CCCA activity, tell me what you liked about it and how we can improve it. What programs, projects or information would you like to see us develop?

Rise To Action - DC is coming up, April 12-13. This conference for survivors and families is a great opportunity to meet and network with other survivors, gather information on a variety of topics, win educational scholarships, and yes, it's fun. The conference is being held on the Georgetown University campus - more details and registration can be found on our website - childrenscause.org.

-craig