Elephants and Tea - March 2022 - 6

Gen Z TEEN CANCER AMERICA
Thoughts and Prayers
BY SARA CARRERAS
I
'm incredibly happy to be a part of the
AYA cancer community. The fellow
patients and non-profit organizations
that I've met and worked with have been
a light for me in my darkest moments.
It's comforting to know that there are so
many people out there that I can relate
to - and we're usually on the same page
about a lot of things. We're not huge fans
of hospital food, we love becoming BFFs with
our nurses, and we're all trying to figure out
how to navigate life post-diagnosis.
A common sentiment from the AYA community
that I don't quite relate to, however,
is the distaste for the phrase " thoughts and prayers. " The memes and conversations
that I have with people about it reflect an opinion that offering someone your thoughts
and prayers is an empty gesture, used to make yourself feel good about offering your
verbal support while relieving the burden of actually having to do something helpful
for the person with cancer. I'm not writing this to judge anyone who feels this way
(we all react differently to different kinds of support), but I wanted to share my story
about how positive thoughts - specifically prayers - have affected my life and why I
depend on them in order to endure difficult times.
The moment that I got diagnosed with Leukemia in February 2020 at age 24 (I was
in the ER at the time), I was feeling so much fear and distress that I don't think most
people would have been able to handle it without medication. Seriously - I already
suffered from chronic generalized anxiety since I was little, but this was a level of fear
far above all else. You may know that Christians like to quote Bible verses about not
being afraid and trusting in God, but at that moment, all of my trust in God went out
the window. The only reason I was able to mentally survive that day was seeing my
parents right there next to me in my hospital bed, praying to God and putting on a
brave face for me, even though I knew they were scared too. When I saw that they were
okay, I started to feel okay too. After my initial reaction, my thoughts started to clear
up. I remembered what I have believed my whole life - that God has a plan for me,
and that whether or not I personally like the journey he wants me to go on, I know,
without a doubt, that it's for my good, the good of others, and ultimately for His glory.
Because I so strongly believe that God listens and responds to the prayers of those
who believe in Him, I campaigned diligently to get as many people praying for my
healing as possible. My entire church and family prayed for me, along with many
friends and acquaintances. Even people I didn't know were praying for me, because so
many people were sharing my story with their own networks. Every time that I heard
a new church small group or somebody's cousin once-removed was praying for me,
I felt an incredible amount of comfort and gratitude. To be so loved by strangers like
that is why I believe the family of Christ is like no other. Their love by way of prayer
and emotional support is why I'm here today - with scars, but not completely broken.
And God is the one who puts so many wonderful people in my life, both Christian
and non-Christian, as He guides my path along the winding road of healing. I am
grateful for the thoughts and prayers of others because they remind me of how much
God loves me. l
Photo: Courtesy of Teen Cancer America
Teen Cancer America partners
with hospitals throughout
the United States to develop
specialized facilities and
services for teens and young
adults with cancer. They build
teen-friendly environments,
enhancing the hospital experience.
They develop standards
for age-targeted care, improve
collaboration between pediatric
and adult specialists and enable
dedicated research to improve
outcomes and survival for our
young people.
Roger Daltrey and Pete
Townshend of The Who are the
driving force behind Teen Cancer
America. After over a decade
working with Teenage Cancer
Trust in the UK, the duo decided
to bring their passion across
the pond in 2012 and make a
difference in the lives of teens
and young adults with cancer in
the United States.
teencanceramerica.org
6
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Elephants and Tea - March 2022

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