Welcome. We are friends of the family of Joe Burstein, and we have created this website in an effort to try to help this remarkable family as they face a time of enormous challenge. More than two years ago, as Joe’s wife Billie was in the final few weeks of her long battle with breast cancer, Joe himself was diagnosed with cancer. Joe has been undergoing treatment since Billie’s passing in February 2008, and he has taken a leave from the practice of acupuncture at this time. We hope as you read the story of the courage, persistence and faith of this remarkable family, you may also be moved to help.

Billie and Joe Burstein met in Florida, and it was love at first sight. Billie, a massage therapist, and Joe, an acupuncturist, were married in 1981. Their son Aaron was born in 1989 with a rare chromosomal disorder, Trisomy 9p, only found in about two hundred children worldwide. A doctor advised Joe and Billie not to even research the disorder because the outlook was so bleak and suggested that they institutionalize Aaron. Instead, the Bursteins researched the disorder and found hope in a program of neurological stimulation called “patterning”. Alongside his parents, many friends and neighbors volunteered to do patterning with Aaron, and today, at 21, Aaron has far exceeded the initial predictions of his physicians.

In the midst of the family’s commitment to Aaron’s patterning, they were met with their next challenge. When Aaron was three, Billie was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was soon found to have already spread to her bones and liver. When Billie was given two years or less to live, she refused to accept that outcome and set her sights on surviving--for herself and for her family. Once again, Billie and Joe got to work researching, and with the help of many alternative forms of treatment, Billie was to survive an amazing 15 more years.



The challenges were not over for the Burstein family, however. A month before Billie passed away, Joe himself was diagnosed with gastro-esophageal juncture cancer. In the wake of the loss of Billie, Joe had to begin his own chemotherapy for this very aggressive type of cancer. Joe’s cancer has gone through various stages, and he has been treated with chemotherapy and radiation at Dana Farber. He is also being treated by a fellow acupuncturist and a Chinese herbalist.

Joe was treated in Germany in January of 2010 with some of the same protocols that were used for Billie; these have been used for years in Europe, and some of them are undergoing clinical trials in the U.S. The generosity of many friends and associates facilitated Joe’s ability to seek these life-saving measures.

Joe’s successful acupuncture practice, along with the help of the community at Needham’s Temple Beth Shalom, had made it possible for Billie to get the treatments that would sustain her for so many years beyond the doctors’ predictions. Joe is a nationally known healer, consulted by acupuncturists all over the country, and has treated several thousand people over the years. This thriving practice allowed Joe to offer treatment to many who could not afford it, and in this way Joe was able to give back to the community. Now, in the wake of Joe’s regular cancer treatments, he has had to take a leave from practicing acupuncture.

Joe is still determined to care for Aaron in their family home, and to complement his treatment at Dana Farber with other treatments that may give him the best hope of continued survival. Joe is a devoted father, and is intent on staying alive. It’s difficult for any of us to imagine facing the circumstances that life has brought Joe and his family. As Joe’s friends, we would like to give more people the opportunity to be generous in their support of Joe, as well as offer a place to keep people informed about how he and his family are doing, and about any plans for future fund-raising.