There’s almost nothing as warm and fuzzy as seeing those in the YACC community doing more to help their fellow young adult cancer peers than when they step outside their comfort zones to help end the isolation they know exists. That’s what happened when one survivor decided it was time to acknowledge her cancer experience in the workplace and applied for funding through her employer’s corporate giving program, TD Securities Underwriting Hope Fund.
Her application was successful, and that funding has already helped three young adults diagnosed with cancer under the age of 21 attend Retreat Yourself Ontario where they met other cancer survivors who understand the isolation and other unique issues that come along with a cancer diagnosis during your formative years.
Those three young adults have now been integrated into a community of thousands who have faced many different diagnoses, treatment plans, and subsequent lifestyles, but they all know what it’s like to face the end of their lives when they were just getting started. They all know what it’s like to try and rebuild a career or return to work when battling fatigue and brain fog. They can talk about psychology surrounding scars and body image during the “prime of life.”
But that’s not all the TD Securities Underwriting Hope Fund has done for the YACC community; their gift will also help cancer survivors under the age of 21 to attend YACC’s other Retreat Yourself 2015 programs.
We have to say a huge thank you to TD Securities Underwriting Hope Fund for listening to one of their team members, and taking action to help her continue on a survivorship pathway that empowers her, and other young adults she has gotten to know through our web-based and face-to-face programs. Thanks for having our back!
