DEFENDING MY SISTER’S LEGACY
As I prepared my final wishes, I wanted to leave many charities ongoing gifts. I especially hoped that one lasting contribution would be to Cancer Support Now, providing ongoing donations for materials, printing, and ensuring the Debra Giomi Memorial Crane Cards Project could continue through their organization. Below is my response to a painful and inaccurate email I received refusing this gift.
An Open Letter to the Board and Membership of Cancer Support Now
Anjanette Cureton’s email of 2/23/2026 in response to my offer of ongoing donations requires significant clarification. The assertion that Debra’s cards are “not based in reality” is false and constitutes a serious mischaracterization of both Debra and her work.
There is no need for me to “Google Sadako’s story.” Debra consistently and explicitly cited Sadako’s story as her inspiration, as I have in every presentation of the origin of Debra’s unique and generous sharing of her personal journey. Debra never claimed to have originated the association between cancer and origami cranes.
Debra founded the Debra Giomi Origami Crane Card Project (now the Debra Giomi Memorial Crane Card Project) in 1995, following her diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. Your response incorrectly conflates the historical Sadako story of folding a thousand cranes with Debra’s independent creation of a greeting card with the message of Hope and Peace, a folded origami crane on the front, and a brief account of Debra’s personal journey on the back. These cards are unequivocally based on reality. For more than thirty years, these cards have provided comfort and inspiration to countless individuals.
I remain committed to ensuring Debra’s story is represented both accurately and respectfully. I hope that this clarification encourages a renewed focus on compassion, accuracy, and the meaningful legacies we choose to uphold.
Sincerely,
Thelma A. Giomi. PhD
Below is an excerpt from what I have written on my blog in the past, and it serves as the basis for presentations about Debra’s original and generous gift of the Origami crane cards. It contains information Debra used when she did similar presentations.
Debra’s story of how she was inspired to create the Origami Crane Cards
Debra Giomi had an exceptional experience with the Origami cranes when she was first diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. As many know, the Origami crane is a universal symbol of peace and hope. It has become especially significant to cancer survivors through the story of Sadako Sasaki. As a young child exposed to the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako developed leukemia. Remembering the old legend, she tried to fold a thousand cranes in hopes of being cured. When she realized that would not happen, she sent cranes as messages of peace to others with cancer, and to those in political power. A shrine to Sadako in Hiroshima is visited by many who leave colorful folded cranes there, with the same hopes as Sadako had. Debra’s Origami Crane cards have been left at this Shrine.
When Debra was first diagnosed, one of the teachers, who was an Origami master, began sending her beautifully folded cranes whenever Debra had a treatment or a test. Sometimes the cranes would come in envelopes and fly out into Debra’s hands; sometimes her friend would bring them personally. The friend had also made a display tree from a mesquite branch mounted on a wooden platform. The cranes were placed on those branches and were displayed in Debra’s home.
After Debra finished her first round of chemo, she wanted to thank all those who had supported her throughout her treatment. She decided to send out the cranes from the tree in a thank-you note to each person. But Debra was an incredibly generous and compassionate person. She found others beginning treatment and would lend them the “crane tree” for the duration of their treatment. Debra taught many of us to fold the cranes, and we helped to send them out and to fill the tree for other cancer survivors. The cranes were displayed on the “crane tree”. That tree has been passed on to many survivors and is displayed at many conferences and other cancer-survivor events.
It was Debra’s wish to continue this beautiful and touching tradition of support by providing others with the gift of an Origami crane. To do this on a grand scale, she designed a card that could hold the Origami folded crane on the front with the words “A Gift of Peace and Hope”, and on the back a brief description of her journey to create the cards.
Less than three years after Debra finished her first round of treatment, she was told that her cancer was not cured, but that it was metastatic and she had a very limited time to live. She had never been free of pain since the early diagnosis, and the fatigue remained long after the treatments. Debra was undaunted by this. She continued to work with the children as an audiologist.
Her artwork took on new dimensions, growing into exquisite sculptures and award-winning jewelry. She continued to attend her peer cancer support group. Her deep appreciation for nature was expressed in her love of hiking, her deep connection with the Petroglyph Park, her work to preserve it, and her spiritual writing about her experiences there.
Even with her diagnosis, Debra was determined to flourish in the time left. She continued everything except working with the children. APS denied her the chance to consult with other audiologists to keep her original program going. Perhaps this was her greatest sadness.
The students so loved her that they painted for her, sent her a stuffed lion, the mascot of Mark Twain Elementary School, and even made a video expressing their love. The children she worked with remained in contact with her. Many, along with their parents, joined our Share the Care Support group. This was a first for Albuquerque and was documented in a series of articles in the Albuquerque Sunday Journal. It was again Debra’s insight and desire to help all her family and friends through this difficult journey by creating a safe place to do what we could, and to know we made a difference. All those children were present at Debra’s funeral.
Through the years, Debra allowed various organizations to use the cards to include information about their services. Two such groups were People Living through Cancer. After the demise of People Living through Cancer, I offered the cards to Cancer Support Now.
Debra felt strongly that support groups and being with other cancer survivors on a peer basis provided information, support, and shared emotional and physical experiences that could not be duplicated with a professional therapy group. Currently, Cancer Support Now has refused to keep Debra’s story on the back of the cards, even after being offered donations in perpetuity.
Since Debra died in 1998, she continues to inspire many in their journey through cancer. The Debra Giomi Memorial Crane Card Project continues to offer those diagnosed with cancer, their families and friends, hope, peace, and the caring support that truly reflects Debra’s own hopes and compassion. Countless messages have been sent to me telling of how much the card meant to them and how they took the crane off the card and kept it still.
Debra was a vibrant, creative, generous spirit, full of laughter and light, wise and kind. As her sister, I have continued her Origami Crane Card legacy by involving survivors and friends who fold cranes for the cards and distribute them.
If you or your organization would like to fold origami cranes and create cards for cancer survivors or individuals with any chronic illness, and include Debra’s story on the back of the cards, contact Thelma Giomi at www.thelmagiomi.com