I distinctly remember that when I was diagnosed with cancer one of the very first things that entered my mind–surely within the first five minutes–was, “Oh my Gosh. My hair. It’s going to fall out!” Â That thought haunted me until my long brown hair actually did disappear. Â As I was shaving my head, I realized that often anxiety and anticipation is much worse than the event. Â After all, hair grows back, and I didn’t have to fix my hair for quite some time.
For me personally, the hair wasn’t as tragic as weight gain. Â One of the silver linings for me was the anticipation that I would lose a few pounds during treatment. Â (Sick, I know.) However, quite the opposite happened! Â I swelled up and gained about 15 pounds from steroids. A) Retaining fluid and B) increased appetite and couldn’t stop eating. Â See for yourself:
with a friend the week after diagnosis
after four months of steriods!
So…by the end of treatment, I was over it. Over the baldness and wig-wearing. Done with the fatness and clothes that didn’t fit. Â Disappointed by the scar that would forever mark my chest and was not easily camouflaged. Â Exhausted from trying to make outfits, scarves, accessories hide my illness. Â If you’ve met this disease called cancer, you understand.
The good news is that my hair did come back. Better than ever. They told me it would…didn’t really believe it, but it’s true. It’s the hair I always wanted: thick and curly. (Lesson: be careful what you wish for!) Â It took nearly a year, but I lost all of the extra weight and then some. Â Sarah is back! New and improved.
If you can relate, be encouraged! You’re not alone. Â Here is a short video from the Lance Armstrong Foundation of young cancer survivors sharing their body image issues and disappointments.
A month or so ago, I had the privilege of touring St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis. I have driven past the hospital a zillion times on my commute from Nashville to Dallas, but have never stopped. Â Unfortunately I know a patient who has been in treatment there since February 1, so I couldn’t just drive by one more time. And I’m so glad I took that detour. What an incredible place! Â St. Jude’s is a fantastic research hospital and all, yes…ALL services are 100% free to patients. Â I still don’t fully understand how that’s possible, when I routinely open my medical bills and realize that I’ll be managing cancer debt for quite sometime. I’m not bitter.
On the tour, I walked past an entire wall dedicated to the ABC’s of cancer, written by young patients. Â Here’s one of my favorites:
20-somethings make up the largest population of uninsured and underinsured Americans. Two-thirds of uninsured young adults skip needed care due to high costs. This same demographic also has the lowest rate of cancer survival (19-39 year olds).  Hmmm…makes you wonder.
This is a great article from CNN Health about college grads and insurance. It’s an easy read and we would love your feedback!
Are you uninsured? If so, why? (finances, lack of information, not necessary, etc.) We want to hear from you! How You Live is in the process of developing a program to support young adults who are uninsured and your thoughts and experiences are valuable.
Yes, it’s true. Hannah Powell-Auslam of Fullerton, California was recently diagnosed with an invasive ductal carcinoma at Stage IIA — “a type of cancer that oncologists say has rarely, if ever, been found in a girl of Hannah’s age.” Mastectomy and all. What?! Heart-breaking.
Read this ABC News article to learn more about Hannah’s story.Â
I recently heard about a 13 year old in Dallas who was diagnosed with breast cancer. It seems that i routinely learn about other young women battling a disease that used to be limited to women over 40.Â
If you know of a young woman facing this scenario, visit Bright Pink for resources and support.
Two questions:
1. How do you feel about insurance companies limiting coverage for mammograms to women over 40?
2. Why do you think that in recent years, very young women are being diagnosed with breast cancer?
