As an AYA cancer patient (adolescent and young adult cancer patient), the resources and support available for the 18- 40 age group are lacking. There are structures in place to sufficiently support and address pediatrics and geriatrics, but as the needs for young adults are so different from those two demographics, the support available is often insufficient.
I don’t want other cancer survivors to struggle as much as I did in order to find support, grants, navigate insurance and later, to rebuild their lives. With this book, I hope to make someone else’s experience easier. I wrote about my early experiences with cancer at The Palm Beach Post Newspaper. They were gracious enough to give me a 2 page spread, in color with a redirect from the front page on Sunday.
Currently, I volunteer with Imerman’s Angels as a mentor to AYAs who are diagnosed with brain cancers. My 4 year anniversary of diagnosis is coming up and I’m beyond fortunate to be here still. 95% of people diagnosed with GBMs don’t make it to 3 years, let alone 4. I am very fortunate to have friends who have 15 years (or more) of survivorship with this kind of cancer who show me that statistics aren’t accurate when it comes to this disease. Community is the difference between enduring a terrible experience and being beaten down by it.
To anyone that’s dealing with cancer now, there doesn’t need to be a purpose behind it. You didn’t cause your cancer and you aren’t any less worthy than before. You don’t need to save the world, contribute to the next major innovation or pack 90 years of life into 1 year. Simply living life as you want to is enough. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.