You Don't Know What You Would Do

USA Today published an article titled, 'Preventative breast cancer surgery has some docs alarmed." The article informs readers about the growing trend of prophylactic mastectomies. The article didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to have their breast(s) removed. I had my first breast removed because the cancer was starting to spread inside of my breast. I had the second breast removed the next year. I don't regret my choice.

I am writing this post in response to the commenters on the USA Today website who are judging women who chose to remove a breast or two prophylactic-ly. Y'all suck. Until you have been diagnosed with cancer, don't mock or judge or know that you would never do what I and other women have done. You don't know what you would do.

New Fertility Resource for Cancer Patients

SaveMyFertility is a new educational resource on preserving fertility for cancer patients (men and women) and their doctors hosted by The Hormone Foundation, The Endocrine Society, and the Northwestern University's Oncofertility Consortium.

For more information, see article published on 6/7/11 on HealthCanal.com, "SaveMyFertility is the First-ever, Comprehensive Bilingual Resource for Preserving Fertility for Cancer Patients."

If you read this blog, you know that I am now dealing the infertility after effects of chemo. I wish resources like this one had been available to me prior to chemo. If you know anyone who is about to go through chemo, please make sure they (male or female) are aware of the potential effects to their fertility and that there are doctors and scientists who want to help.

Graduate Student Study on Cancer Survivors and Post-Treatment Life

Reposting from Facebook: Cancer survivors -- help with my master's research! Read the note below & email yacancerstudy@gmail.com. Please repost! 
Posted on 5/27/11

If you are a cancer survivor between the ages of 18 and 50, could you please take five minutes to fill out an anonymous online survey for my master’s thesis? I'm a cancer survivor myself and an Occupational Therapy student at California State University, Dominguez Hills.  I’m trying to improve the quality of life for those who are experiencing long-term side effects of cancer treatment. My research team has already completed phase I of the study where we interviewed young adult survivors about their experiences with post-treatment life. For phase II we have developed a survey, based on those interviews, that will attempt to see how widespread these experiences are and eventually develop a plan to help survivors improve their quality of life and successfully engage in meaningful activities. The requirements for participating in the study are a diagnosis of cancer between the ages of 18 and 50, chemotherapy and/or radiation as part of your treatment, and completion of your chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment within the last five years. If you or someone you know fits these requirements, please send an email to yacancerstudy@gmail.com with your age and the details of your treatment (surgery, chemo, etc…) and we will send you a link to the online survey. Please repost this on your Facebook page or email to any survivors you know. The more participants we can get, the more we will be able to make a case for this important type of treatment!

FYI OMG

Earlier this week, I learned about the OMG! Cancer Summit for Young Adults. The 3rd annual conference will be held on May 23, 2010 in New York on the campus of Pace University. The event sounds like a wonderful opportunity to meet other young people who share similar cancer-related concerns. The day-long event will offer networking opportunities and host different panel discussions. Panel topics of high interest to me are on fertility issues and living life after cancer, but also listed on the agenda are conversations on employment/insurance, sex & relationships, and social media advocacy. Well known names in the young person's cancer world, including Kairol Rosenthal, author of Everything Changes: The Insider's Guide to Cancer in Your 20s and 30s and Matthew Zachary, founder of I'm Too Young For This!, are highlighted as panel participants, I don't know if I will be able to attend, but I am most definitely considering it.

To learn more about OMG! 2010 go to http://omgsummit.org/2010/index.html. Registration begins on April 5.

Someone like me?

Last night I attended a potluck supper sponsored by the local breast cancer support group. While I enjoyed myself, I can't help but think how odd it is to spend time with people whose main connection to each other is that we share a personal history of bizarrely mutating cells within our bodies.

So what do I chose to do tonight? Go to my first meeting of the young breast cancer survivors, held in Columbus. I made my first initial contact with this group a few weeks ago, and today is my first opportunity to attend. I am curious to see what it will be like to meet with women who are closer to my age. While I like the women in my local support group, they are all much older and in very different stages of life than me.

Maybe tonight I will meet women who are like me.