Each year, 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer.
These young adults (YA) often feel alone, scared, and frightened by their future. They struggle with their diagnosis and treatments daily, having to reprioritize their lives while facing the idea of their own mortality. Whether their battle is short and remission is granted quickly or the war is long with many setbacks, young adult cancer patients will have concerns they must face for a lifetime.
“God and the doctors gave me my health back,
but camp gave me my life back.”
Engaging in social support, especially YA survivorship programs, can provide them with tools that will help them address these concerns and allow them to feel like they are back in charge of their own life. One survivor summed this up with the quote: “God and the doctors gave me my health back, but camp gave me my life back.” Our Foundation was formed to be a resource for young adults with cancer and to help connect them with others, their age, going through similar journeys.
Our Mission:
- To guide young adults with cancer, who are being treated at a hospital or cancer center, to social support programs and services that can help them manage the psycho-social needs created by their cancer experience.
- To direct and encourage young adults to engage in and take advantage of these programs and services
- To provide financial assistance to those young adults with cancer desiring to attend a survivorship program but who lack the financial resources to do so
How We Reach Young Adults with Cancer
Online Presence
Our interactive website contains information and links to support groups, programs and services, including outdoor adventure programs across the country, specific for young adults. You can also Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter. Check out our blog page.
Information Bags
We visit local hospitals, treatment centers and support groups and talk about the many opportunities available to YA cancer patients. See a sample or order our Information Bags here.
Scholarship
CHSCF offers a scholarship for higher learning. (see link for details)
Workshops
CHSCF hosts Base2Summit, a 6 day survivorship program. Ages 18-39 Our purpose at B2S to foster camaraderie and lasting friendships while giving the participants a chance to test and trust their bodies again with some adventure activities. We hope you will visit our link and view our highlight video of B2S week on our experiences page.
How we can work together
We want to be a resource for you and help you manage the needs of the young adults that are being treated at your facility by:
- Helping you and your staff communicate the importance of peer support programs to young adults in treatment and to connect them to support programs. We would love to set up a meeting (virtual or in person) to inform your staff about all the YA programs available.
- Promoting the programs and services that your facility currently has available for young adult patients by including that information on our social media and in our Information Bags
- Helping to educate the staff at your facility of the importance and availability of these support programs and services and the young adult’s participation in them
How you can help us
- Help distribute our Information Bags to any young adult at any stage of treatment at your facility. See link above for information on ordering the bags
If we have not met and you would like to connect with us, please email Karen Hines, our Awareness Director, khines@chscf.org.