Monica Cusick

In the early 80s I became a fan of Mike Peters and The Alarm.  It was the music that carried me through the angst of my teenage years, rocked with me through college, and  grew with me into adulthood.  I was living in San Diego at the time that Mike Peters was doing the 25th Anniversary tour and I knew that I’d have to drive up to one of the few US shows up in LA to see him.  During that show he talked about Love Hope Strength.  I went home that night and researched it and knew immediately it was something I wanted to be a part of.

 

Only a few years prior, my longtime friend Paula lost her life to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma before a match could be found for her desperately needed bone marrow transplant.  It’s a painful reminder, but also an inspiration to work hard to grow the donor list.  My goal is for nobody else to feel as helpless because they can’t help a loved one who has no match.  But I also get to witness the other side of this.  I see it everyday in my work.  I work as Nuclear Technologist at a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and every child going through their pre-transplant workup comes through my department.  I see the patients and their families who actually benefit when matches are found.  Love Hope Strength.  I see it everyday, and I work it one concert at a time.