Leading Advocate for Families with Cancer Finds Himself Back in a Fight for His Life 

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

He’s still shining brightly.

I know because I’ve talked to Howard regularly since his shocking diagnosis just a week ago revealed: The man who is known for surviving two different extremely long-shot stage IV bouts with cancer—and now heads a nationwide network helping to support cancer patients and their families—has just been hit by a third form of very aggressive cancer.

“This was a shock! It took me completely by surprise—my doctors, too,” Howard said from his Detroit-area hospital room where he is receiving daily chemotherapy. This time the cancer is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), which had been invisibly devastating his body for weeks.

To read the now-famous stories of how Howard overcame two virtual death sentences from oncologists already, in his life, get a copy of his memoir Shining Brightly. Today, among his many advocacy roles in health care and interfaith relationships, Howard serves as chairman of the board of Paltown Development Foundation, a vast network of thousands of patients, caregivers and their families battling colorectal cancer. That was the second of three cancer diagnoses in Howard’s life.

How did Howard not know that cancer had come calling again?

He didn’t—and that’s an important part of this story. He didn’t suspect cancer was back—nor did his longtime oncologist friend who Howard sees for regular checkups. The only reason they discovered the AML, last week, before a catastrophic collapse was that Howard knew the drill: Something had changed unexpectedly in his body—which meant he had to call and get checked.

In fact, Howard is so healthy from a lifetime of attending to his fitness that, when his doctor friend first read his blood tests at Beaumont Hospital—the doctor assumed the lab report was flat-out wrong.

He apologized to Howard: “We’ve got to run this test again, Howard, because somehow the test is screwed up. If your blood levels were this bad, you’d be wheeled in here on your back—not strolling in here after a long walk. Howard, something’s wrong here, but it may just be this test itself. We’ll do it again right now.”

So, an entire second set of blood tests were taken and processed and, the moment Howard’s doctor saw that second lab report, his jaw dropped.

“Howard?” Then, the doctor paused, the news obvious on his face.

“It’s bad—isn’t it? Take your time,” Howard said—his first instinct was to reassure his doctor.

The doctor was shaking his head in disbelief. “There’s no way your condition has gotten this bad and you’re not just on the floor—I’ve never seen blood levels like this on a patient who’s walking around as healthy-looking as you.”

“Well, one thing I can tell you is: I’m sure glad I didn’t overlook that bruise that suddenly appeared on my arm,” Howard told the doctor. “I was just been playing some pretty heavy-duty basketball with friends and I thought the bruise was from a foul. I might have just dismissed it, but then I thought: Oh, well, I know the drill. It’s a sudden bruise. Something changed in my body—so I should check. But you’re right, I feel fine! I just took a five-mile walk.”

The doctor, who has known Howard for years, could not stop shaking his head. “No more ball playing for you, Howard. Your immune system is gone. I think your bone marrow has stopped working. If you catch a cold from someone else—especially flu or COVID—you’re going to die. Your immune system is shot—and that is very serious.”

Howard was sent into isolation in a Beaumont oncology section. He had enough energy to make a few calls—including one to me, his long-time friend and editor—and to post a few items online. Then, almost immediately, friends from around the world jumped in to reassure Howard that they’re providing many forms of support. Because Howard knows about the high costs of battling cancer at this level, one early post he made was a GoFundMe campaign headlined: HBstrong! Support Howard Brown—3rd cancer—AML.

Already, as of this story’s deadline, 160 donors have contributed nearly $46,000—and the fund continues to grow.

Howard’s mantra: Keep the focus on ways we all can help others

Even after such a stunning blow, Howard’s focus has been on encouraging his friends to do good toward other people, as well. That’s a natural expression of Howard’s life.

Yes, his GoFundMe page is an appeal for donations—but here’s the rest of his list for ways people “can do for me in my time of need”:

• Please send prayers and hugs
• Consider donating blood and/or platelets where you live. I will need transfusions—but so do many others.
• Be kind to others.
• Hug your family and friends for no reason.
• And, keep shining brightly always!

The response across a half dozen social media platforms, email, text, phone and other media was so overwhelming that, when I was talking to Howard a few days ago, I suggested: “Can we publish a story in ReadTheSpirit?”

“Ohhh, you know that would help a lot,” he said. “I feel bad that I have not been able to keep up with individual responses to all the ways people have reached out to me. You know how—”

I cut him off. “Yes, of course! I know how you can’t rest until you respond to friends. I’m the editor of your memoir and of countless columns you’ve written in recent years. I know that you’re disciplined to respond to each note and act of kindness with a personal ‘thanks’ of some kind. It must be driving you crazy to feel so much incoming love—and you can’t keep up with responding to each person.”

He laughed. “You know me! Yeah, I’m thinking of each and every one who has reached out. I want to tell each one how much it means to me that they took a moment to reach out.”

“Well, for now,” I said. “I’m going to tell this story in ReadTheSpirit and I want you to lay back and let the Beaumont staff take you through the next 30 days of chemo. Don’t worry. We’ll get your word of “Thanks!” out there for everyone.”

Howard’s ‘Ace in the Hole’

“One thing that keeps me going everyday is that my twin sister, CJ, is still my Ace in the Hole,” Howard told me. “If I can make it through these 30 days of chemo, then we meet down at Karmanos in Detroit and we’re praying that a stem cell transplant from CJ to me will save my life again—just like it did in my first battle with cancer years ago.

Readers of Howard’s memoir Shining Brightly know that having a twin does not necessarily mean that a match is possible—but, in what the Brown family considers a miracle, CJ proved to be an exact match years ago. Her cells saved Howard’s life by kick-starting his own bone marrow to produce healthy cells again.

“And, it’s not 100 percent certain, but we hope that will happen again,” Howard told me. “First, then, I’ve got to make it that far.”

No question: Howard’s life could end before CJ can give him that priceless gift. That’s why Howard and his entire family especially value prayers. Two of Howard’s closest clergy friends—rabbis who have become dear friends through the years (and who also appear in his biography)—are spending time with Howard.

As of the deadline for this November 4, 2024, issue of our magazine, Howard said to let people know that he is determined to beat cancer once again—and that prayer and spiritual reassurance is a true lifeline for all cancer patients.

“And, so far, I’m holding up. Yes, I know the chemo will catch up to me soon and will slow me down, but for now—it’s early days and the doses are still low enough that I’m able to get up and walk around. I need to keep as fit as I can. Mainly, I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness for all of the kind wishes—the response to my Go Fund Me campaign and the prayers that I know people are wrapping around me every day! I feel very grateful.

“The one thing I regret is that I simply don’t have the time and energy to respond individually to the thousands—and that’s literally thousands—of notes and best wishes people are sending me from around the world,” he said to me. “The more I think about your invitation, David, I think your plan to write something for the whole ReadTheSpirit audience is one way that I can convey my thankfulness for all the people who are reaching out with support.”

I told Howard: “Well, when I saw the tidal waves of responses you’re getting, that’s why I thought of writing this column with you. No one wants to invade your privacy—but all of us who know your story understand that the key to surviving this truly life-threatening crisis is connecting with other people.”

“I’ve always said that, haven’t I?” Howard chuckled. “You know what I’m going to say next, don’t you?”

“Fighting cancer is a team sport,” I said. “You always say that.”

“Right. The key to surviving this kind of battle is accepting help from a caring community—and I’ve got excellent doctors and lots of dear friends surrounding me right now. And what else do I say?”

“Keep shining brightly.”

“That’s right,” he said. “Whatever happens to me—we all need to pitch in to make this world a better place. That’s what gets me out of bed every morning—and that’s no different right now. We’ve all got to keep shining brightly.”

Howard Brown and his twin sister CJ enjoying a sunny day before his recent diagnosis.