The Cushing’s Partner Program on meetup.com recently celebrated it’s one year anniversary . We are now 71 members strong (which is amazing considering Cushing’s syndrome effects approx 1 in 500,000 ), with new members joining every week. Because the Partner Program has been so successful on meetup.com, I extended it to Facebook and we now have 96 members (and still growing every week).

The idea to start the Cushing’s Partner Program stemmed from my desire to create a place for patients and survivors of Cushing’s syndrome to connect in a personal & meaningful way. One of the common threads that most of us feel during our illness and on the road to recovery is isolation. More often than not doctors aren’t familiar with Cushing’s or they’ve never seen an actual case in their practice, so their insights about the challenges of recovery are usually limited and family & friends have a hard time understanding the full impact & long-term ramifications of this disease and we’re left feeling alone to fight an uphill battle.

The Cushing’s Partner Program allows patients in the early stages of diagnosis & recovery to partner with someone who’s farther along in the recovery process (usually about 6+ months post-surgery). Who better to understand all that you’re going through than someone who’s been down that road. And better yet, can give you some insights on what to expect in the coming months of your recovery.

It’s the members who make this group successful - survivors who take the time to reach out to those who are just starting their recovery journey from Cushing’s and those who are strong enough to reach out in search of a connection that will hopefully ease their isolation.

For me, this is not only a celebration of one year passing but a celebration of people coming together to share & support one another in the journey of recovery. Cheers!