Young people like Loren need you this Adolescent and Young Adults Cancer Awareness Week.
At CancerCare Manitoba, a specialized program is dedicated to supporting adolescents and young adults during one of the most pivotal – and vulnerable – times in their lives.
Remarkably, programs like this are made possible only through donor generosity. And young patients gain age-appropriate care, emotional connection, and a community that is needed.
After the birth of their second daughter, Loren and her husband were settling into life as a family of four – two beautiful daughters and precious moments ahead of them.
Then, in January 2024, two months after Loren returned to work from maternity leave, she found something concerning during a self-breast exam. Loren made an appointment with her doctor in Killarney who sent her for an urgent mammogram.
The time that followed was a blur of appointments. Everything was moving fast until the moment she received a call from the doctor’s office. “In that moment, I knew I had cancer,” said Loren.
Thirty-four at the time with two young children, and returning to the career she loves, Loren was diagnosed with stage two invasive breast carcinoma. She moved from the tender, joy-filled days of early motherhood into a world of decisions no one expects to have.
“How do you tell a five-year-old you have cancer?”
Loren was scared.
To help guide the difficult conversation with her young daughter, she leaned on supports through the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program at CancerCare Manitoba – a program designed for patients aged 15 – 39 who face unique and complex realities through their cancer experience. And a program, made possible through donor support.
Loren was carrying so much. A surgery in February, followed by recovery, and all while showing up for her young family – then came news that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
For the next four months Loren would travel from Killarney to the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre in Brandon for bi-weekly chemotherapy, followed by 20 rounds of radiation.
“I was really fortunate to access care quickly and close to home.”
Yet alongside that gratitude and support from her family and friends, Loren felt alone.
“Cancer is really isolating. Especially when you are in your thirties,” she expressed. Because of donor generosity, Loren connected with other young adults facing the same fears and experiences as her – even from the comfort of her own home by participating in online AYA webinars and support programs like an upcoming webinar she is looking forward to: ‘Fear of Recurrence.’
“I don’t know what I would do without the support I received through the AYA program.”
Today, Loren has regular scans every six months and is in her second year of hormone therapy. While she is in recovery, Loren continues to rely on support from the AYA program as she navigates the emotional impact of going through treatment so fast – and so young.
The quiet fear of recurrence stays with Loren, as it does for so many patients.
Donor generosity has helped young adults like Loren access programs designed to support their physical, emotional, and social well-being during one of the most difficult times of their lives. Yet this year — and in the years ahead — many more young people in our province will hear the words, “You have cancer,” and they need your help.
When cancer interrupts a young life, the right support can make all the difference. Please consider giving today to help make that possible for Manitobans like Loren, Dan and Emily.
Read more stories of young Manitobans whose lives were changed by their cancer diagnosis.
