Cured! A Remedy of Laughter for the Myeloma Community

Allan Shelley has always been healthy and active. An annual check-up turned his life upside down. 

Thanks to the proactivity of his doctor, Allan soon found himself at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for a follow-up of his routine blood test. They were able to catch his multiple myeloma very early. 

He began to prepare for a stem cell transplant, and while recovery has taken some time, he is currently in complete response and living life “like a normal person”, apart from the maintenance therapy and the monthly check-ins with his doctor. 

He’s learned amazing lessons from the experience: namely, to let people love and take care of him, and to learn how to truly love others. 

Another lesson learned? How to have fun and see the humor in his everyday life. 

To this end, he’s invested his time and energy into creating a fun game, “Cured!- Laugh About What Ails You"  

This game is all about talking and laughing about ailments. We all know that laughter has a great therapeutic value, and there certainly is a lot of laughter when people get together to play this fun game.

Here’s how it works in a nutshell: 

There are three sets of cards: condition, treatment, and wild cards. Condition cards are dealt out to each player, with the number of cards given depending on how many people are playing. Then, the following steps take place: 

1. Choose a Condition (these include sore throat, constipation, open sore, etc.) 
2. Draw a Treatment card (these include exercise, a change in diet, practicing yoga, etc.) 
3. Convince the other players that the Treatment will cure your Condition (if you can: this could mean convincing someone that practicing yoga could cure your open sore)
4. The other players vote whether or not you’ve convinced them of your condition being cured.
5. If you pass the test, you’re cured! The Condition card can be eliminated, and you can draw a wild card for future turns. Not convincing enough? You keep your condition card until next time. 

How do you win? 

Get rid of all your conditions. Survive the strategic play of others (who could use their wild cards against you!) Most of all, have fun and make sure to laugh with your loved ones. 

Currently, Allan is working with the EvergreenHealth Hospital to include this game in care packages for those receiving stem cell transplants. 

We invite you to buy and play the game and bring more joy into you and your loved one’s life. All net proceeds from people purchasing this game will go to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance at EvergreenHealth to support their efforts and mission. You can purchase the game here: https://www.curedgame.com/

(Currently, the HealthTree Foundation receives no benefit from your purchase of this game.) 

Curious about other’s experiences with the game or further instructions on how to play? 

Check out the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/cured.card.game/

We look forward to hearing how you enjoy the game!