Pat Garcia-Gonzalez: I recall the first moment after hearing Max had leukemia

Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer at The Max Foundation, shared the following post on LinkedIn:

“People diagnosed with a rare disease often feel isolated. Not only they had never heard of the disease before, but also they will not typically meet anyone else with the same diagnosis. I recall the first moment after hearing Max had leukemia. My mind searching for information one hundred miles an hour; ok, leukemia is common, leukemia is treatable.

But then the news; no, not the more common childhood leukemia, instead, a rare form of leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia. I had never heard not met anyone with this disease.

Over the years I have come to understand the important role that patient organizations provide in the context of a rare disease to create a sense of community around patients. Today, The Max Foundation, we address this challenge by supporting patient organizations for people living with chronic myeloid leukemia and other rare cancers.”

Source: Pat Garcia-Gonzalez/LinkedIn