10 Great Resources for AYA Cancer Patients and Survivors

It’s been awhile since my last post but I’m excited to announce that the delay was because I have officially moved to Sydney, Australia! So, Riding the Cancer Coaster is now coming to you from the land down under! I wanted to take this post to share some resources that I have come across in the past few weeks. Here’s a list of 10 great resources for for AYA cancer patients and survivors (not listed in order of helpfulness/importance or anything like that - just a set of 10 helpful resources):

1. Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada has put together an fantastic, 14-episode YouTube video series for AYA cancer patients and survivors, called The C Word: Young Adult Cancer Series. You can find the video series HERE. Personally, I loved this video series because I think they are one of the first AYA cancer video resources that do not involve solely story-telling, but rather share the responses of current AYA patients and survivors to really important questions relating to the AYA cancer experience. The answers of the AYAs in the videos provide such informative perspectives too. 
   

​        https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaLgrtXadEF9Ue-PCSBuOkcsaj5Sp3Vzo

1. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s (MSKCC) resource page on eating well during and after cancer treatment is really informative. I was never really informed about how cancer treatment would impact my weight, nutrition, etc., and I definitely never learned about any nutritional guidelines. But, I really like the way MSKCC shares how treatment can affect your eating habits and that it provides a detailed set of nutritional guidelines. To read about Eating Well During and After Cancer Treatment, check out: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/eating-well-during-and-after-your-treatment
2. Everyday Health provides a very good article about PTSD and the emotional challenges that may come with life after cancer. As a huge advocate for mental health screening and care for AYA cancer patients and survivors, I think this is a really important topic to understand. PTSD or anxiety related to cancer treatment is not something that is really talked about at the time treatment begins, but it can become a very real challenge when treatment ends. To learn more about PTSD, other emotional side effects of cancer treatment, and ways to seek help/cope, you can read more here:
   

​        https://www.everydayhealth.com/cancer/ptsd-and-life-after-cancer-1231.aspx

1. Scientific American shares 8 things you need to know about living with cancer if you’ve just been diagnosed. They include everything from questions to ask your care team to a list of other resources to look through:
   

​​        https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/living-with-cancer-8-things/

1. Duke University Hospital’s new Teen and Young Adult Oncology program website has an awesome list of resource divided by topic. They share other sites to check out, and I think it’s particularly helpful because they share job and financial help resources, which are hard to find: https://sites.duke.edu/ayao/ayao-resources/
2. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, hosts an annual conference for young adults with cancer and their families. It’s only one day but they cover a variety of topics through speaker sessions and workshops. You can learn more here: http://www.dana-farber.org/for-patients-and-families/care-and-treatment/support-services-and-amenities/young-adult-program/annual-young-adult-cancer-conference/
3. CanTeen, an Australian organization supporting teens and young adults with cancer, has a great guide through the process of adjusting to a cancer diagnosis. They cover coping with the news, how cancer is diagnosed, information about cancer in young people, and information as well as additional resources related to what to do if your cancer cannot be cured. You can find it all here: https://www.canteen.org.au/youth-cancer/diagnosis/
4. The International Psycho-oncology Society website shares a very extensive list of resources and support forums for patients and families affected by cancer. You can check it out here: https://ipos-society.org/for-patients/resources-for-patients-and-families/
5. Young Adult Cancer Connection has a resource page that includes information and resources related to patient advocacy, retreats, peer support, financial assistance, body image, fertility, legal assistance, videos, meetups, and more. You can read through their listings and browse by topic here: http://yacancerconnection.org/resources
6. SeventyK is a great website that has a educational resources, events you can attend, and a blog where you can read posts by other patients/survivors as well as posts about all things related to the AYA cancer experience: http://seventyk.com/

If you have any questions about the resources listed here, are looking for any other resources in particular, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out to me via the contact form on this website, or email me directly at clarissa.schilstra@gmail.com!