A Message from our Founder
March 27, 2024 marks 16 years since my extraordinary husband Monte Mordecai took his last breath on earth. I’m still filled with gratitude for Monte and my good fortune to have had such a loving, supportive marriage. His death dealt a terrible blow to our two children and to me. But that’s not why I write to you now. [...]
StricklandStrong
Lilly Beck When Cody first told me his diagnosis, I wouldn’t have ever believed him if he wasn’t crying. How could a healthy 25 year old man (that never smoked, never complained of acid reflux, and wasn’t an alcoholic) be diagnosed with Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer? The doctors gave us a very grim prognosis, told us our treatment options were [...]
A Survivor’s Story
Gary Gilbert of York, Pennsylvania was diagnosed with Stage III Esophageal Adenocarcinoma in 2010. This is his story.
A Reason for Optimism
This is the 13th anniversary of my husband's death. It may sound like a contradiction, but it is a reason for optimism. I’m not sure why 13 is an unlucky number. I just know that shortly after our 13th wedding anniversary, my husband was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer. Today marks the 13th year since his death from that beastly disease. [...]
Hope is Important
These are challenging times. And we at ECAN are keeping our focus trained on the positive difference we can make in the world. That's the powerful lesson we learned from our dear friend Stacy Alexander. Two years ago, we were honored to be invited to a beautiful, surprise celebration of that amazing woman. Stacy Alexander was a mother of [...]
Make It A Life-Saving Birthday
In May of 2010, Brent Sharpless was in the prime of his life. He was an active, healthy 36-year-old who had never smoked, ran marathons with an average mile pace of under 7:30, and he had just summited Mt. Rainier. Brent also lived on three continents; backpacked multiple times through Europe, Asia, and Australia; and was appointed VP of his [...]
The Power of Purpose and Sharing
As both a caregiver and a patient, I’ve had lots of on-the-job training. It started with my mother’s colon cancer diagnosis when I was just 32. She only survived 6 weeks, much of it in gut-wrenching pain. I learned I could not help her – but I also learned the crucial importance of advocating for yourself. Just over ten years [...]
It’s Hard – But it’s Survivable
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with food. It started when I was around five years old. Until then, I was a fairly normal-sized blond child with blue eyes, although perhaps a bit pudgy-faced. I don’t remember this, but there is photographic evidence. At around the age of 5, I apparently pissed off the universe somehow, and almost overnight, I became [...]