Being Part of the Answer

In the immediate days following Jereme's diagnosis I was talking to Gabi (you know, my angel of a roommate who helped me through my treatment) and she said something that I hated.  And I loved.  All at once.  She said, "I guess if you ever wondered why you got cancer, now you know your answer.".  I hated that statement because I didn't want the answer to be that my little brother would get cancer.  And I loved it because I would want nothing more than to help my brother through this journey.  To provide him answers to questions he may be too embarrassed to ask or help alleviate the uncertainties of what this test or that term meant.  "What do you think?", "How did that go with you?".  Ask away, brother, ask away.

People around me asked questions too.  And I was asking my own.  I've searched the same damn terms in Yahoo and Google an embarrassing, obsessive-compulsive number of times..."siblings with Hodgkin's", "siblings with lymphoma", "lymphoma research", "brother sister cancer", "*#$%^&"...

To no avail.  Sure, I've found a few studies but nothing that draws the line in the sand.  And I want answers.  I've come to the conclusion that right now, at this point in time, there is no answer.  So, I want to be part of the answer.  How can I help the next brother or sister deal with their diagnosis?  How can I help bring peace to the next family?  What do I have in me physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually that can help the next person?  I want to give that.  

And so tonight I fired off an email to a doctor and researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.  Here is the email:


Dear Dr. Brown,

My name is Jennifer Morris.  I am 34 years old and reside in Gilbert, Arizona.  I was diagnosed with stage 2A Hodgkin's lymphoma March 1, 2011.  After 4 rounds of ABVD and 17 radiation treatments I received my first clean scan February 3, 2012.  My younger brother, Jereme, was recently diagnosed with stage 3B Hodgkin's.  He is 31 years old and lives in San Diego, California.  Today marked the completion of his first out of an anticipated six rounds of ABVD. 


I have asked myself multiple times - how?  Why?  And as I have scoured the internet in hopes of finding the answer, your name has appeared in more than one place as a leading researcher on the possible familial link of Hodgkin's.  I am interested in helping find an answer.  I don't want to speak for Jereme but I'm sure at some point (maybe not while going through treatment) he would be willing to further the research as well.  How can we help the next family minimize or even prevent their chances of this diagnosis?


Please contact me at your earliest convenience and let me know how I (we) can help.
Thank you for your valiant effort in finding an answer.

I realize that the answer may not come tomorrow or next year or even in my lifetime but I want to help.  I want to help the people I know and the people I don't.  My friends.  My family.  My co-workers.  My neighbors.  My future nieces and nephews.  I want to be part of the answer.