The Conley Cushing’s Disease Fund was established on July 17, 2014 and is a project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor. The funds raised will be used in part to support patients and their loved ones who are suffering from this disease. It will also work to create awareness and advocacy trainings by collaborating with medical professionals, hospitals, organizations ,and all others working with Cushing’s patients on the early diagnosis of this disease. These efforts will ensure those trained are equipped to spot the disease more quickly and effectively, and empathically manage Cushing's disease symptoms in patients.
After more than two years of symptoms that didn’t seem connected (including four bouts of bronchitis, pneumonia, strep, shingles, a fractured hip, a “hump” on my back between my shoulder blades, a mysterious umbilical hernia and foot problem as well unexplained weight gain of over 70 pounds in less than 15 months), I finally had an answer to what was causing my body to go into a downward spiral. I had seen 10 different specialists and had hundreds of tests. Now even though the diagnosis was devastating, at least we had a name for it.