Caring cards: Vista entrepreneur starts outreach program after son's cancer battle

By JOEL D. AMOS - For the North County Times | Saturday, August 30, 2008 10:01 PM PDT ∞

Compassionate Communications founder Greg Voisen, right, and his 27-year-old son Sean Voisen pose with their line of greeting cards designed for critically ill patients in Carlsbad on Wednesday. Both father and son created the nationwide program of connecting patients with people who want to send messages of hope after Sean was diagnosed with leukemia at age 21. Photo Hayne Palmour IV

When Vista resident Greg Voisen's 21-year-old son, Sean, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002, he knew that his life would change forever. What Voisen didn't know was how Sean's six-year cancer battle would lead him to a career change, offering the same type of support to other families that he received during his son's long illness.

"There are so many out there in need of some communication from someone who cares," Voisen said. "This is a healing card outreach program."

One year ago, Greg and Sean (whose leukemia is now under control) launched Compassionate Communications, a Carlsbad-based online business that raises money for charities by connecting kindhearted donors with sick children and adults around the country through hand-signed greeting cards.

"I know how much these mean to people," said Voisen, adding that he believes the warmth of good wishes and get-well cards that Sean received from family and friends aided in his healing process.

So with the idea of spreading that love around, Voisen contacted the greeting card giant Hallmark to ask about developing a card-giving partnership. Within weeks, Hallmark responded and Compassionate Communications was born.

"I was amazed," Voisen said proudly. "It's really blossomed into something I never thought was possible."

How it works

To set up the business (which is awaiting approval for its nonprofit status), Voisen contacted several charities and foundations around the country that agreed to post profiles of patients who would be open to receiving greeting cards from the public. One-quarter of the proceeds from Compassionate Communications' card sales goes directly to the charities including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation, the Lung Cancer Alliance, the Make a Child Smile Organization and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. They're just a fraction of the nearly 190 charities that are in the process of joining the network.

Visitors to the Compassionate Communications Web site can "shop" for card recipients by going online and clicking on the profiles of more than 100 patients they're most interested in sending cards to.

For a $25 fee, the visitor gets to choose five card recipients and five greeting cards (from a collection of 50 specially designed Hallmark cards, with greetings such as "Believe in yourself / You are stronger than you know"). The customer can also upload personal photos that will be printed inside the cards, which can be printed in English or Spanish.

The box of five cards and pre-addressed, stamped envelopes is mailed to the donor, who can hand-write a personal message inside and put it in the mail. Each card also comes with a stamped, pre-addressed return postcard, should the card recipient choose to mail a note back to the sender.

Voisen said the business has sent "thousands of cards" out to customers in its first year and he has also partnered with a North County church whose members can use the service as a source for giving.

"My role in this is to be someone who holds the energy and the faith for people to understand that there is a healing power on both sides in connecting people this way," said Voisen, who described himself as a "burned-out financial consultant" before he started Compassionate Communications.

Voisen said he hopes one day to secure funding for a study to provide quantitative evidence of the benefits of compassionate communication, but for now he says, "I know it works."

He uses as an example the success of letter campaigns to soldiers overseas in times of war. Even if the letter-writer is a stranger, the feelings of anonymous goodwill can lift the spirits of a soldier who hasn't had any mail from home in a while.

Sean's journey

Sean Voisen has come a long way since his diagnosis, which came during his senior year at UCLA. The 1999 valedictorian of Vista High School was a committed overachiever, but he found himself tired all the time at UCLA and unable to keep up with his friends while rock climbing and biking on the weekends.

In an interview with the North County Times three years ago, Sean said of his experience: "I actually had to be persuaded by a doctor to skip class and go to the emergency room. When I heard the diagnosis, I knew inside of me I was going to be fine. It was when my mom called and she was crying and I had to reassure her, it started to get a little scary."

Fortunately, Sean responded well to treatment with various drugs. Right now, he is taking the medication Depakote.

"It's a miracle drug," Greg Voisen said. "It's just come out of clinical trials. He did not have to go through a bone marrow transplant. He's been on that drug for six years at $7,000 a month and he'll never be off the drug. Thank goodness, the insurance company pays for it all."

Sean now works with his father at Compassionate Communications as the company's Web developer and Webmaster. He'll be returning to school this fall at UC Irvine to earn his master's degree in computer science, but he still plans to work in the Carlsbad office at least once a week to continue their joint venture, born from illness but dedicated to goodwill and health.

"We've been very blessed," Greg Voisen said, "to be able to help people connect with people who need it."

To sign up, visit www.compassionatecommunications.com.

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