Grosse Pointe Librarians Share Gift of Research with Co-Worker, Public

Laney Corrado is thankful.

She is thankful for her rescue dogs, Elvis, Priscilla, Holly and Edie. She is thankful for the 22 years with her husband, 20 of which they were married.

She is thankful to all of the supportive people in her life who helped her through as she helped her husband battle late stage cancer. Her husband, Deno Corrado, died this fall. 

In his honor, the have established a database called Deno's Database that is geared toward families coping with cancer. The database contains many resources not likely found by the average google search to help with gas money, mortgage payments, house cleaning and more. 

The database began as a project by Library Director Vickey Bloom. She intended to do the research to help Corrado and two other employees who were also battling cancer. Bloom knew in Corrado's case that the finances were tight because Deno had been layed off within the year of his diagnosis. 

Bloom said she knew there were foundations that existed who would help with various financial obligations for those fighting breast cancer and she knew there must be some to help victims of other types of cancer. 

During the search, Bloom and other employees found a variety of alternative options. One organization paid Corrado's mortgage for one month no questions asked. Another sent $400 to be used as needed by the Corrados. Yet another organization sent the couple gas cards monthly at the prompt of a monthly telephone card. 

All of which Laney's said were tremendously helpful in a time when the Grosse Pointe Public librarian was driving her husband two hours from their Marysville home to the University of Michigan Hospital for treatments.

"I'm so glad they put the whole thing together instead of keeping it in a notebook," Laney said. "Some of the places you would think would do a lot, don't and make you jump through so many hoops." Laney even had one organization tell her after the lengthy application process that her husband's vocal cord cancer was not considered a legitimate kind of cancer. 

There is a lot of help available but the exhausting part of searching is sometimes the narrow parameters organizations can have, such as a specific kind of cancer or medication, gender preference or other details, Laney said. An interesting discovery during the research involved cleaning the house, Bloom said. A woman with breast cancer could easily find help to clean her home but there were little to no options for cleaning homes of cancer patients who are men, she said. 

The database includes the organizations that are generally the most useful to any type of cancer patient, Bloom said.

The organizations Bloom and others found are a wealth of resources to family in need of help while helping a family member battling cancer, she said. The research is already done and any librarian is able to help someone who is interested in accessing the database, which is free and available to anyone who holds a Grosse Pointe Public Library card or is the friend of a cardholder. 

Additionally, the positive part about the database is that is includes organizations that are legitimate and follow-through on what they offer--a fact that has been tested with the Corrado and other library employees, Bloom said.

The database contains only those organizations that were worth the energy and effort to pursue, Bloom explained. Dealing with cancer alone is overwhelming, she said. 

Couple it with trying to maintain the operation of a household, caring for the patient, working full-time and trying to make ends meet while also taking on many additional expenses related to the healthcare, Bloom said, the last thing anyone wants to do or has the time to do is research to find money to cover bills and help through the tough time. 

Laney's thankfulness extends to the database. Part of what makes her so happy about its creation is that others can benefit from it. 

When she and her husband first found out of his cancer, they agreed they would share every bit of the experience with everyone, she said. The idea was to help others learn or at least be aware of how such an illness impacts one's everyday life, Laney Corrado said. 

"I shared everything," she said. And sharing ultimately led to the great generosity from Laney's co-workers within the library system as well as friends and fellow church-goers--all of whom showered the couple with random gifts of cash, gas cards, meals and, even dog food. 

Laney admits she is in a more difficult place emotionally now than immediately following Deno's death as the true grieving as set in. She has no regrets about how she and her husband handled his cancer so openly. To know it benefitted anyone else, even if just one person, that is what both wanted, she said.

She shared her ups and her downs during their struggle against the cancer and that remains true today. 

"I wanted them to understand," she said. "It's great to not have regret."

Deno lived for two years with late stage cancer. In January 2011, he had his voicebox removed in a surgery. He discovered a good way to bring back his voice following the surgery and shared it with fellow patients--just one example of how he liked people and helping others. 

An avid hockey player, Deno won the most valuale player award in March 2011 and then his team, the Marysville Glacier Pointe, took the over 50 league champsionship.

It was a short time after that his condition began to decline. Laney, however, was able to tell Deno about the database being established and being named after him. He was truly touched, Laney said.  

Neither knew a database was being created and neither knew it was to be named after Deno, Laney said, noting both cried when she told him.

"We cried more of happiness than of sadness through the cancer thing," Laney said. "He was ecstatic."