Young Adult Cancer Canada – These Are My Scars

It is pretty amazing how powerful it is meeting other Young Adults with cancer!! Last Thursday (Aug 2) I participated in YACC’s first LocaLife event for Toronto. To my surprise, I walked into a patio full of new faces; I can’t tell you how happy that made me. I know, there is irony in finding happiness in this situation, but after spending a year in treatment and not meeting any others like me, to see this community growing and uniting is incredibly satisfying. I truly wish that there wasn’t so many of us out there, but there are so its nice to know we are finally connecting and sharing our experiences!!

I have been attending a Toronto support group for 20’s and 30’s, but there’s never been that many YA survivors in one room before, so I was pleasantly surprised by the numbers. What was great about this event was that it was a casual gathering of people with a shared experience. It wasn’t a therapy session or a highly structured event, but one where we could mill around and connect with familiar friends and meet new ones. I left that night feeling energized and full of hope, so much so that my writer’s block finally became unblocked!!

I have been floundering and stagnant for the last month or so. I had a million ideas, but when I sat down to write, nothing came. I struggled for words to expand my ideas. The magazine suddenly took a back seat and I felt like I was failing, myself and my community! I was desperate to overcome this block, but didn’t know where to start. Previously I had been able to sit on my computer and within 20 minutes have a clear and coherent piece of writing, so not being able to continue doing this was extremely frustrating! What I didn’t know was that simply letting that frustration go and go with the flow so to speak was what I needed. I think this meeting on Thursday was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries and find inspiration again!! So thank you to out T.O. LocaLife leaders and to YACC for hosting a great event, and thank you to my new friends for inspiring me to keep at it!!