Young Adult Cancer Canada > Community > News

Rethink Breast Cancer publishes report on young women and cancer

Back in July 2011, we asked you to participate in the Rethink Breast Cancer survey on young women with breast cancer. The results are now published in a report called Breast Cancer In Young Women: A Needs Assessment, and there's some great information in there. While the report focuses on a specific sex and diagnosis, YACC recognizes a lot of the themes such as isolation, fertility issues, questions about relationships, and financial struggles as common elements of the young adult cancer experience.

Get a cup of coffee, find a comfortable spot, and have a look at what they found out!

Posted on May 09, 2013 - 09:56 AM by angie

Laughter Yoga retreat in Nova Scotia

Barbara and Paul Weinberg, the owners of the Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort, are holding a Laughter Yoga workshop in May 2013.

Cabot Shores was the location for Retreat Yourself East 2012, and we heard a lot of comments about how beautiful the location was, and how much fun people had during the Laughter Yoga session. The session will be led by master Laughter Yoga teacher Linda LeClerc.

"Laughter Yoga is great for people who work with others (teachers, nurses, social workers, healthcare providers, parents, and more). It is guaranteed to bring lightheartedness and connection to any interaction. It's also a lovely way to bring those qualities into our own lives. Laughter is such good medicine!" said Barbara.

Details

When: May 17-19
Where: Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort, Cape Breton, NS
Eligibility: Everyone is welcome. This is not a cancer-specific event.
Cost: The fee for the two-day workshop is $350.

Call 1-866-929-2584, or visit cabotshores.com for more information.

Posted on Apr 23, 2013 - 10:28 AM by angie

Take the first step toward postive action by taking part in this survey

PhD student Anthony Turner sent us the following request for participation in his research. Read on, and then feel free to take a few minutes to submit some info! Research like this helps health professionals tailor various treatment plans for young adults dealing with cancer, so your feedback is important!

How do we get more people to take positive action on issues that directly impact Canadians affected by cancer?

University of British Columbia PhD student Anthony Turner is leading research to help answer that question, and if you are a Canadian directly affected by cancer, he'd like to have your help! Don't worry, your part won't take too long (typically under 30 minutes), you can do it at your convenience, and you can even do it without leaving home! You'll just share your thoughts and opinions in a confidential online survey. No medical information is collected.

Although everyone's willingness to help is appreciated, participation in this particular study is limited to people age 19 and older who currently live in Canada and who have been diagnosed with any form of cancer (be it currently active or in remission). We will be very grateful to all who can participate.

As thanks for your time and effort in helping us out, those who complete the survey will receive a ten dollar shopping credit for a major online retailer or a ten dollar donation credit for canadahelps.org (a service that allows you to donate to the registered charity of your choice). You also have the option instead to have a ten dollar anonymous donation made to the BC Cancer Foundation in your honor to help fund leading-edge research by the BC Cancer Agency.

Please note that slots are limited to the first 70 people to complete the survey and each person can complete the survey only once.

Further information about this project, which has been approved by the UBC Research Ethics Board, is provided at the beginning of the survey. After reviewing that information, if you have additional questions or concerns, or if you need assistance with the survey, please contact Anthony:

R. Anthony Turner, PhD Student
Research Project Coordinator
Email: anthony.turner@sauder.ubc.ca
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ranthony.turner

Posted on Apr 03, 2013 - 01:13 PM by angie

A new web series about young adults and cancer

After a film about young adults dealing with cancer on a kayaking expedition, and a short film about young adults dealing with cancer on a sailing trip, Mike Lang is set to launch his third film project on young adult cancer issues on April 3, 2013 (learn more about all three projects here).

The series is called Valleys and will chronicle two-time cancer survivor Amy Aubin and her friend, Annie, as they join Survive & Thrive Expeditions on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.

In his introduction on the Huffington Post on March 20, 2013, Mike said, "The hope is that through this webseries we will be able to see cancer from many different perspectives leading to open, honest communication with the people we love."

Webisodes will be uploaded each Wednesday to the Huffington Post's "Generation Why" section where they feature stories and information on young adult cancer.

Mike and Amy are members of the YACC community, and we are excited to watch this project unfold and expose young adult cancer issues to a whole new audience.

Please click here for more information.

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 - 05:30 PM by angie

CCSN offering a webinar series on advocacy Webinar (starting March 27)

The Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN) is hosting the first of a series of eight free webinars on the topic of advocacy starting March 27 at 4 p.m. PST/7 p.m. EST.

The first webinar will discuss how the healthcare system in Canada is structured and will answer the question, "Who does what?"

What you'll learn from this webinar:

An overview of the basic roles and responsibilities of federal and provincial governments within our health care system.
An understanding of the differences between engaging politicians and bureaucrats when advocating within the health care system.

Bring your questions, and prepare to be motivated!

Please email Tiffany Glover at tglover@survivornet.ca to register, or if you have any questions. You will receive information on how to log in to the webinar upon registration.

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 - 09:08 AM by angie

Be a part of Dr. Anne Katz and Alicia Louise Merchant’s book on YAs and cancer

Are you interested in being interviewed for a new book? Dr. Anne Katz and Alicia Louise Merchant, a YA with cancer, are writing a book for and about young adults with cancer and are looking for people to share their experiences.

We are looking for young adults under the age of 40 years who have had cancer after age 18. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds with any type of cancer. Participants can be in treatment, post treatment, or living with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic disease.

Interviews can be conducted over the phone or by Skype, and will be recorded and transcribed. We will call you so you will not incur any costs.

Interviewees may use their own names or request a pseudonym. Your confidentiality will be protected and you have the right to share as little or as much as you are comfortable with.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact Alicia Merchant at YAcancerstories@gmail.com.

We are committed to interviewing a diverse and representative group of subjects. At the moment, we are lacking an adequate representation of LGBTQ young adults and male young adults with cancer, and would particularly value interviews from these groups.

Thank you so much for considering to be part of this project.

Best regards,
Alicia Louise Merchant

Posted on Mar 20, 2013 - 11:18 AM by angie

Survive & Thrive wants you to reflect, refocus, rebuild, and live!

Mike and Bonnie Lang are members of the YACC community who also run adventure programs through Survive & Thrive Expeditions, an organization "dedicated to combining travel, adventure and in-depth reflection and exploration of the cancer journey into one unique life changing experience."

They are currently accepting applications for this year's program offering, and sent along the following message for you:

The words in the title are the foundation of every Survive & Thrive expedition--whether that be in a sailboat, on a raft, or in your own kayak. In addition to an adventure of a lifetime, we spend a couple evenings on each trip focusing on each step in the journey forward.

Reflect. In a world filled with demanding jobs, kids to take care of, houses/apartments to clean and bills to pay, it's tough to take time after finishing treatments to pull quietly away and reflect on your cancer experience. What's really happened to you besides all those medical treatments? How has cancer changed you? "Unplugging" from everything in the wilderness helps make reflection possible, and for many people it is a great first step to moving forward in your cancer journey.

Refocus. After having reflected on the past, it's important to refocus on the present and take stock of where you are in your life. What's important to you now post-treatment? Have your priorities changed? Do you want to live differently then before cancer or do you want to focus on regaining what has been lost? Working through these questions in a supportive, open and honest community is what happens in the middle of each trip having already built strong relationships through the challenges faced together.

Rebuild. It can be tough to know how to actually implement change in your life, especially after such a huge life event like cancer. We spend the last few days of the trip exploring how to rebuild and move forward. This is the most important part of the whole trip. If there's no next action step, all the reflecting and refocusing will not result in a better, more fulfilled and happy life. We take the time to build a life mission statement to guide you moving forward and creating practical action steps to follow once we leave the river, mountains or sea and go back to our cities and jobs and "to do" lists again. We encourage both cancer survivors and one close supporter to come on the trip together as having someone close to keep you accountable to your mission statement makes all the difference.

So where does "live" come into the picture? Every day! Survive & Thrive Expeditions gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself at different levels through the adventure-of-a-lifetime experiences, as well as kickstart your survivorship journey, no matter where you may be starting from.

Will you step out this summer? Will you take the plunge to reflect, refocus and rebuild your life and live well despite cancer? It’s time.

Reflect. Refocus. Rebuild. LIVE!