The Story Behind CureNation
The premise behind CureNation began in 1995 when John F. Kennedy (no relation to the former U.S. President), was diagnosed with a potentially terminal tumor of his esophagus. With his wife, Stacey, eight months pregnant with what would be their first child, John was given the devastating news that he had a disease called Barrett's Esophagus and a growing tumor, carcinoma in situ. His doctor urged him to have his esophagus surgically removed as there were no known treatments, experimental or conventional, that could eliminate the tumor in his esophagus and allow him to lead a normal life. His doctor told him, "We will try and make you as comfortable as we can. I suggest you get all of your affairs in order."
After a period of sheer terror, John & Stacey decided to collect their emotions and channel their every energy toward finding their cure, even though no cure was known to exist. What resulted was a "business plan" of sorts, to become the first patient to be cured of this disease. Drawing upon an entrepreneurial instinct, the concept to create the intellectual infrastructure needed, "on the fly," to become experts about his tumor and possible treatments. At that time, resources that identified an optimistic outlook for this tumor or treatment were elusive, to say the least.
| This intense exploration to find their cure that didn't seem to exist finally paid off. John located the proverbial needle in the haystack when he uncovered an obscure gastrointestinal medical magazine that mentioned a new month-long clinical trial that was beginning at the Thompson Cancer Survival Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. John became one of the first patients ever to undergo a "Star Wars-like" treatment called Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), that eventually eliminated the tumor cells while leaving the healthy ones intact. John's current doctors, Gene Overholt and Masoud Panjehpour, believe that the tumor may be gone for good. Not only was John's original doctor mistaken about John's "chances," John & Stacey's determination to be the first to find a cure, unearthed a plethora of little-known resources to find potential cures, hospitals and treatment centers curing heretofore "incurable" tumors and diseases, free travel and lodging at out-of-area treatment facilities, financial assistance, support services and cutting-edge information stockpiles that could make the journey for a potential cure far less morbid. |
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Because of John's successful quest to find his cure, he and Stacey are
extremely fortunate to now reside in Cape Cod, Massachusetts with their three
children, Christopher, Jack and Max.
CureNation provides a free resource to help patients and their loved ones more easily navigate through that minefield and hopefully, find their own cures when none were believed to exist. There are tens of thousands of clinical trials going on at any given moment in the U.S. alone. It is the first place where a cure or life extending treatment surfaces. If educated to carefully navigate the search for their cure, it is conceivable that millions of patients can extend their lives and even find cures. That is the ultimate goal of this website. This site and its contents are constantly being updated. Therefore, you may wish to check back often as information changes by the minute. Good luck in your quest. We wish you the best of health. |
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To learn more about Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for Barrett's Esophagus, high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma, please visit Axcan Pharma's Photofrin web site. |
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