Mission:

The “Voices of Survivors Foundation” is devoted to exploring what ‘Survivorship’ means to the individual ‘Survivor’, whether they are recently diagnosed, in-treatment or post-treatment, in a variety of documentary formats. Each ‘Survivor’ helps define what this means to not only themselves, but also gives insight to others who are on this journey as well, either as a ‘Survivor’ or a ‘Co-Survivor’.

The face of cancer is one that has been portrayed as that of only older people or children for so long, but that face is not reflective of whom cancer truly affects. It affects us all! We become a ‘Survivor’ when we first hear those three words: “You have cancer.”

At that moment, your ‘Survivorship’ begins and you are not alone. Each and every ‘voice’ shared can mean so much to so many and touch even more. Stand up, be heard!

You are a ‘Survivor’!

History:

The “Voices of Survivors Foundation” was started by Lynn Lane, a documentary filmmaker and a ‘survivor’ himself. Lynn was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in 2008 and underwent a Robotic Radical Prostatectomy in May of that year at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. From the moment of his diagnosis, he realized that life would never be the same. He scoured the internet in search of information and support but found very little out there except for a few amazing groups and support sites, but nothing like what he was looking for: the visual image…the power of the spoken word.

After his surgery he turned his efforts towards his project: “Voices of Survivors” as he saw a real need to put a human face and voice to this word that means so much to so many people. Utilizing his background as a documentary filmmaker, he saw this as a new challenge for his work as well as himself. The word ‘survivor’ oft times has very different meanings for each individual and sometimes can be challenging for them to see themselves as one. This project and format seemed to lend itself to a new form of support for each individual who is going through this battle as well as for their friends and family. It gives us an opportunity see ourselves as a ‘survivor’ in our terms and by our own definition of the word. The ongoing, online documentary portion of the project is just the beginning of what “Voices of Survivors” is to become.

Lynn Lane was also selected to be a delegate with “Voices of Survivors” in the LiveSTRONG Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland in August of 2009.

The “Voices of Survivors Foundation” is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Houston, Texas. All donations are tax deductible.