At YACC, recovery is about more than survival, it’s about living a life worth loving for the long road.
Heather Brown gets it.
After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 32, the dedicated advocate and volunteer realized recovery didn’t follow a one-size-fits-all pattern so she put her skills to the test to get to a place that feels right for her.
“I realized as a cancer survivor as a young adult that recovery isn’t this simple thing. It’s something that is ongoing, it’s something that I have to work at, it’s something that involves managing the symptoms and side-effects from my cancer and my treatments, and it’s really been something that wasn’t a clearly-defined piece for me and I needed to have a better understanding at the beginning.
“Recovery, it’s a long-term goal, but it’s a really hard thing to manage. It’s not something that’s just achieved immediately once your treatments stop.”
Heather says the Recover Study is a really important tool for helping us get data and other information to inform change and influence decisions that can make life easier for young adults after a cancer diagnosis.
She said, “This study is going to make a difference. It’s going to help young adults be better prepared with what to expect with recovery.”
The YACC Recover Study aims to engage 2,000 people who were diagnosed with cancer before the age of 40 to learn more about what life is like after a cancer diagnosis so we can work on making it better. The short survey will be sent to participants once a year to gauge what the pain points are to help lead us in program planning and other work.
We want your voice*! Visit recoverstudy.ca to sign up and help change what it means to be diagnosed with cancer in the prime of your life.
*Eligible participants were diagnosed with cancer before the age of 40 and are currently over the age of 18, and live in Canada. Participants will be paid $20 for each year they complete the survey for a minimum of five years.
