I am a career marketing researcher and strategist and ran a consulting firm for 15 years with my business partner, Shamus Khan, who is the head of the Sociology Department at Columbia University. Our focus was on using the science of people (psychology, sociology, anthropology, economic) to help brands speed new growth. During our tenure, we built a roster of clients that included Columbia Business School, CHANEL, Citibank, The Economist, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, LACMA, Sotheby's, the Whitney and the United Nations.

I've had cancer on and off for the last 15 years, and spent much of that time recovering from surgeries and treatment protocols. Through this I discovered a gap that needs filling. Once treatments end, so does information and support -- and yet this is when the hard work of healing begins.

Mend Together is aiming to fill this gap by curating a social commerce platform filled with advice, products and services that speed healing. The core idea is a Cancer Gift Registry where friends, family and colleagues can contribute funds to a patient's account. The patient can then use these monies on things like seatbelt covers that protect sensitive chemo ports, meal delivery, or services like oncology massage and housecleaning.

Other tools include a Community Journal that keeps everyone updated at the same time and a Volunteer Calendar that makes coordinating offers of help easy.

We hope to expand to other areas of need where people "survive" a traumatic event, whether that be a heart attack, natural disaster, or rape. MEND is legally bound to contribute 10% of proceeds to under-resourced communities.