Dear Ms. Danner,

Brian Hill shared with us the generous support you have provided in making this new message board a reality.

For many of us who are caregivers or patients, coming to this board has become a daily part of our routine and it offers us a huge amount of comfort.

I'm sure I am not alone in that I have been blessed with many nice gestures and offers of support from family and friends. But, unless someone has gone through the horrors of oral cancer treatments, there are very few people who can relate to the toll this takes on the patient, the caregiver, and in cases like mine...the children.

Through this board, we support each other. We rant, we rave, we ask/offer advice and we celebrate in each other's successes. We also hold dear in our thoughts those who are suffering and we grieve for the friends we have lost.

I do not know how I would have survived this summer without all of the wonderful OCF friends (whom I have never met in person) offering me encouragement and advice.

Brian, is always working to accomplish bigger and better things in the area of OC awareness and education. He is on a constant and focused mission to increase awareness and offer those of us who are new to the world of oral cancer the best information available. I have an amazing amount of respect for him. As far as his advocacy work, he is able to do more in a month than most people can accomplish in a lifetime. With the help of people like you, he and OCF will make a difference.

Sadly, for some of us, the lack of work for the patient and caregiver along with mounting medical bills has caused great financial devastation within our families. Many of us are in a rebuilding process with very little extras to contribute to this amazing site. We are thankful that people like you care enough to help ease the burden in others lives.

I'm sorry that this awful disease took your husband during the prime of his life. But I admire you for collaborating with Brian to help raise the awareness of OC, and to help support the people who are in great need of an understanding and compassionate audience.

Just today, there was an announcement on these boards of a young woman who lost her life to OC due largely to a long period of misdiagnoses. My husband went nearly 2 years before he was properly diagnosed, and by the time he was disagnosed his cancer had evolved to Stage 4. It doesn't have to be this way.

I have much gratitude and appreciation to you for your involvement.

Kindest regards,