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Letters written to problems, not people – by everyday champions, like you.
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cancerous cells to accompany a poetic letter written to cancer

Dear Cancer

May 22, 2020

NOTE (from the Author): I wrote & published this on my Instagram account because I lost my brother & step-mom to cancer – my sister successfully battled it.

Just some rogue cells
Drinking from the Fountain of Youth,
Trying to survive
In a hostile world,
Lashing out at all around
In anger and confusion.
You’re not like the others;
Uniform, compliant,
Following the rules.
You live in the margins,
A deviant,
Inflicting damage because
That’s all you know
How to do.
Dear Cancer,
Like all errant,
Atypical cells,
We will fight you
And we will win.

Female, 60
Daughter & Sibling

A man among friends but out of place and attempting to hide.

Cara Diagnosi, Autismo (Dear Autism)

October 25, 2019

Per me sei uno stile di vita, dato che risali a una ventina d’anni fa e rimarrai sempre in famiglia. Sei arrivata a dirci che le relazioni sono difficili, non sentiamo e pensiamo e agiamo tutti nello stesso modo. Non abbiamo tutti gli stessi gusti. Ognuno di noi, per quanto possa essere simile, non è uguale. Caro Autismo, un grazie perché hai aggiunto alla mia vita il rispetto delle diversità dell’individuo.

Sorella, E tà 31
​Autismo

An elderly woman with alzheimer's holding a camera posted to reflect the tone of a letter submitted to the Dear Diagnosis literary project.

Dear Alzheimer’s

February 6, 2019

You took her away. Her body still roams around. She may speak once & awhile. She used to be the “Godfather” of the family… a title she earned. If you had a question, she knew the answer. She was talented beyond belief. You took her dignity, sense of safety & her clarity. You don’t deserve her. She was ours. You had no right! We will find a cure one day and destroy you!

Granddaughter, Age 38
Alzheimer’s Disease

 

A toddler looks at a graphic image with excitement, just as his mother is excited to see that her son's doctors' prognosis was inaccurate.

Dear Diagnoses

January 30, 2018

NOTE (from the Author): I am writing as the mother of a child with multiple diagnoses. I am 55 and he is now 25 and has coped with migraines, mild bipolar & IBS since age 5. This what I have to say to these diagnoses.

You will not block his chances, you will not stop us from seeking every avenue at our disposal, you will not make us handicap, you will not stop the dreams he has for himself, because we will find a way to work around you and through you. A therapist once told him when he was just a small boy, “Now, go out into the world and use your special powers for good.” She was right! He is now a functioning adult.

Mother, Age 55; Son, Age 25
Migraines, IBS, Bipolar Disorder