Hi Cuartasc, Yes I agree with you that 'Young people dealing with this kind of stuff is just weird'... I was 28 when diganosed with cancer and am now 7 years post diagnosis. Its been a long journey of trying to find where a young person like myself is supposed to fit in the cancer world that seems to be set up for either very young children or much older adults. This 7 year journey has taken me through a degree at uni to research the effects of cancer and young adults, where i completed a study last year and the Cancer Council came on board to support me. The Young Adults section on this new website is a result of my study and wanting to help other young adults out there going through cancer. You will see this Young Adult section grow over the next few months and I hope that you will find some great connections with others here and some info and much needed support also. As a fellow Young Adult with Cancer (YAC), I want to let you know you can chat anytime to me and others, in the hope that this may help your feel like you fit in the world of cancer with some like minded buddies Nikki 🙂 ... View more

Hi Butterfly, so great to see you here. I agree that the new website is MUCH better than the last one.... and its SO COOL that YACs have a place to call their own here too!! I bet you are so glad to have had your 2 boys already. I totaly agree with you that infertility is such a devastating side effect of YAC cancer treatment, because we are at the age when we are wanting to start or already may have a young family, and so cancer affects us in many long lasting ways. How have you cope with having cancer and 2 young boys. what have been the challenges and rewards of being a young mum? I too get really angry when the docs take away hope for us YAC patients, and tell us that 'you will be infertile from your treatment'. These words are from my own actual case staudy, where I was told this. BUT 7 years down the track from 33 weeks of chemo that did send my body into menapause at age 29 years, I can tell you now that I am 19 weeks pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess i started this forum discussion to share the fab news and offer some hope and inspiration to any YAC out their who is going through treatment, that there is still light at the end of the tunnel, and that you should challenge any doctor that tells you you will be infertile from you treatment. Ask your docs for all information and choices regarding your fertilty before you start any treatment, even idf you are 19 years old... because even if you do not think you want to start a family at age 19, you certainly should have the choice to do so later in life. IT IS YOUR RIGHT! Nikki 🙂 ... View more

Hello Ed, Yes isn't it a wonderful and exciting new service!! I am wrapped that the Cancer Council have jumped onboard to help Australian YACs, because we all surely needed an equitable and sustainable support service ASAP. Likewise it is great to see you have listed your fab website in your profile. Its such a great info hub for anyone seeking info and links to anything cancer related. For anyone that would like to take a look, click on this link http://www.bestcancersites.com/ No oil down in Byron thank god, the beaches are as gorgeous as ever... Nikki 🙂 ... View more

Hi Louisa, I would love some more info on how I can listen to the live chat in April on sexuality, intimacy and body image Focus topic for young adults. I will stayed tuned for the when and how I can listen. How exciting! ... View more

so sorry about the spelling and grammer... i am going to try and use spell check from now on... please let me know if you can not understand anything i have written. ... View more

Hi Butterfly, yes my life is good now, but remember I am 6 years this Australia day since my diagnosis and you are barely 2 years!!! I had the common childhood form of luekaemia called Acute Lymphoblastic Luekaemia (ALL). this type of luek is much rarer in kids over the age of 16. it also subtypes in various complicated and understucied forms. with my sub type, there were only 10 other recorded cases in the world. i have some stuff to hare with you as your posting brings back memories for me... memories of the tough times i had after my treatment finished.... when my emotions caught up with me. its a wierd phase of cancer.... that part of finishing my treatment and fitting back into society BUT i was a different person with new values and a new way of looking at life - ie life is precious! basically during this time i drove my family and friends crazy, as i often felt angry, lonlely, misunderstood, nervous and depressed. i searched for a some sort of counselling health professional to talk to about my emotions, but could not find one on regional NSW who had a background and knowledge of cancer issues. this difficult time seemed to drag on and on and i was so worried that my bad state of mind would bring back my cancer. But i got through it and i am now amazingly happy to the point that my family and i can look back at this time and laugh at how nuts I was. I think it was my greiving period of loosing the life i had and having the confidence to grow  into my new life ahead. it must be hard for you also being a mum and going through the recovery phase of cancer. enough sleep is so very important... especially for us patients who have had chemo/radio/surgery etc. this is when your body heals and your fragment mind gets put back together to face another day in a more positive mind set. try to get enough sleep, whether that is taking nana naps during the day or speaking to your hubby to support you with the weekends to have a sleep in until your body is ready to awaken you, not the kids etc. if these are not an option, mini meditiation sessions are an awesome way to clear the mind and re-energise. i used mediation alot, and still do. have you dabbled in it? i also had 2 male friends with ALL at the RMH hospital i was being treated at. i loved their company. they were my mentors. one was 18 and admitted 3 days before me and the other 40+ and was 3 months ahead of me in treatment. our treatment protocol was 54 weeks of intensive chemo administerd in hospital. we would get o go home for a day here and their but spent alot of time fighting various infections in varoius wards in hosptial. unfortunatley both men died about 9 months into my treatment and i was alone and very scared. but i had my amazing family and a female haematologist who was so compasionate. at the time that my mates passed away i was also extremeley sick with menengitis caused from the chemo, and was on massive doses of morphine. i was basiaclly in and out of a dreamy conciousness for 4 months. my treatment was stopped and i was sent home 1 and a half years after my initial diagnosis. I remained on morphine for another 9 months. when ever i think about these 2 men i feel so sad. sad that they had to go through such a horrible treatment and did not make it. but it is also these men who give me my strength to find better ways to help the young adult age group - like us.   ...you are so right in saying that its hard to move on, even when your family want to forget about it because yout treatment has finished and you look better- BUT they need to realise that our cancer is going to be a part of us for the rest of our lives, and our family and us - combined must deal with it and not push it aside. they/we need to realise that our emotions - post cancer (not just the physical effects) are also a part of the journey! so keep your head held up high and communicate as much as you can about the way you feel. I found this to be the best way forward for me. i hope this helps best,nikki   ... View more

Hi Butterfly, thanks for your reply and kind words. I see your diagnosis is very recent. You seem to be doing an awesome job of dealing with it... what have you found the best ways to help you cope with it all? Interested to know if you have found many adults with cancer around your age to become friends with or talk to?   best, nikki ... View more

Hi Kev, sorry i have not posted back earlier... back on board now after a nice holiday away from technology. Thanks for telling me my story helped you...i was a bit worried it was going to scare the cr...p out of you. please feel free to ask me anything anytime. if i don't answer your postings, it just means that i have forgotten to look on this wonderful site more often. one downfall of my treatment is a really bad memory...it lets me down at times, but I also have some fun with using the chemo brain thing when I need to. anyway... how are you? how was your holiday? how you feeling about your op coming up on the 29th? You are probably on some dietary recommendations because of your type of cancer.... but i was told to eat lots of good qaulity protein like legumes, eggs & lean meat before my ops (i had 6 operations in total, got some cool scars too!), as it helps speed up the cellular process for healing. maybe you could run this past your doc? email me if I don't answer your post on nshipard@bigpond.net.au all my best, nikki ... View more