Watch: Dana Farber’s Young Adult Cancer Program’s Google+ Hangout
A little factoid for you:
Approximately 70,000 young people between the ages of 15-39 are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. each year.
Even before I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Aura and I were online searching for any scrap of knowledge that might begin to explain what the hell was going on with my body. In between doctor’s visits our ad hoc Google search party became more and more certain that I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I careened wildly from site to site. What else was I gonna do? The internet was an abandoned Wal-Mart parking lot and I was a teenager behind the wheel for the very first time. I innately offer something of a lead foot to much of life, and this would be no different. Finding good information about your cancer is a bit time sensitive.
I started with sites offering medical information, and quickly realized that hundreds of sites have basically the same two or three paragraph summary of the disease and how it is treated. Armed with insufficient Hodgkin’s Cliff’s Notes, I quickly shifted to searching for actual survivors talking/writing about their experiences with cancer. The search was surprisingly difficult. The chat rooms were vast and saturated with crazies. I felt like I was in a Wal-Mart parking lot—one of the last places in the world I would want to be.
Three years later, I do believe it’s easier to find your way on the internet, but I also believe that even Lance Armstrong became a teenager behind the wheel when he was diagnosed.
It is so important to get good information to the 70,000—yes 70,000—young adults who will be shocked by a cancer diagnosis this year. It’s one of the main reasons Hoechemo exists.
To that end, I am proud to have participated in a Google+ Hangout hosted by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Young Adult Program. YAP Director Karen Fasciano joined a panel of inspirational young adult cancer survivors and advocates—who have committed themselves to sharing their journey with cancer—for a video discussion on the unique challenges facing young adults with cancer.
Please enjoy. If you know someone who has recently been diagnosed with cancer, please send this discussion along:
https://plus.google.com/events/cttcelgkdvdt2rto01p6f0smauk
A few more resources:
A fantastic array of bloggers write about young adult cancer for the Huffington Post’s Generation Why:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/generation-why/
Here’s a list of cancer voices I’ve compiled on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BretHoekema/lists/cancer-voices-news
If you’re on Twitter and you haven’t used ‘lists’…get on it. Great way to curate information.
Here’s Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern’s program:
http://cancer.northwestern.edu/ayao/
Here’s Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Programs:
http://www.mskcc.org/pediatrics/adult-survivors-childhood
http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/survivorship/educational-support-groups
If you read this and you know of other great resources for cancer survivors, please feel free to comment.
And please, please do yourself the favor of checking out the work of all the beautiful participants of this hangout…
The event was hosted by Dana-Farber’s Young Adult Cancer Program. @DanaFarberYAP
http://www.dana-farber.org/Adult-Care/Treatment-and-Support/Patient-and-Family-Support/Young-Adult-Program.aspx
Moderator:
Cynthia McKeown
@camworks
Associate Director of Interactive Communications
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Karen Fasciano, PsyD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
http://doctors.dana-farber.org/directory/profile.asp?pict_id=1961938
Director of YAP@DFCI
@DanaFarberYAP
Cancer Survivors/Panelists:
Tara Shuman
@tarashuman
Breast Cancer, Diagnosed at Age 32
http://www.tarabeatscancer.com/
Allie Morse
@allieemorse
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Diagnosed at Age 23
http://alliemorse.com/the-good-hodgkins/
Renee Nicholas
@reneenicholas
Breast Cancer, Diagnosed at Age 33
Director of Corporate Engagement, Livestrong Foundation
http://blog.livestrong.org/2009/04/08/renees-story-employee-and-young-adult-cancer-survivor/
Alex Niles
@alxniles
Gastric Cancer, Diagnosed at Age 30
http://www.smilesforniles.com/
Heidi Floyd
@FollowHeidi
Breast Cancer
http://pinkpowermom.com/
