Elephants and Tea - September 2022 - 18

Cancer
ELISSA BALDWIN WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH ACUTE
MYELOID LEUKEMIA AT
THE AGE OF 34. SHE WAS
TRAVELING IN EUROPE
WHEN SHE WAS INFORMED
OF HER DIAGNOSIS AND WAS
TOLD TO COME HOME TO
PORTLAND, OREGON. SHE
STARTED TREATMENT TWO
DAYS AFTER ARRIVING BACK
IN THE U. S. SHE COMPLETED
TREATMENT IN NOVEMBER
OF 2016 AND IS CELEBRATING
FIVE YEARS CANCER FREE .
SHE IS THE SENIOR MANAGER
FOR EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT
THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA
SOCIETY (LLS).
LAUREN WAGNER WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH HODGKIN
LYMPHOMA AT THE AGE OF
18 IN HER FIRST YEAR OF
COLLEGE AT GRAND VALLEY
STATE UNIVERSITY. SHE
DISCOVERED A LUMP IN HER
NECK THAT LED HER TO VISIT
URGENT CARE. SHE WAS
IMMEDIATELY SENT TO AN
ONCOLOGIST, WHERE SHE WAS
THE ONLY ONE HER AGE AND
COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED.
SHE FINISHED HER FIRST
SEMESTER BEFORE STARTING
TREATMENT, AND WAS ABLE
TO RETURN TO SCHOOL FOR
HER SOPHOMORE YEAR AFTER
SIX ROUNDS OF ABVD. SHE
RETURNED FULL TIME TO
EARN HER DEGREE IN SOCIAL
WORK. SHE IS CELEBRATING 11
YEARS CANCER FREE. SHE IS
THE PATIENT & COMMUNITY
OUTREACH MANAGER FOR THE
MICHIGAN-INDIANA REGION
OF LLS.
MICHELLE RAJOTTE, LMSW
IS THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
OF THE LLS INFORMATION
RESOURCE CENTER AND
MODERATOR OF OUR YOUNG
ADULT WEEKLY ONLINE CHAT,
FOUND AT WWW.LLS.ORG/
SUPPORT-RESOURCES/
ONLINE-CHATS.
Survivorship
PRESENTED BY THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY
MICHELLE: IF YOU COULD TAKE YOURSELF BACK TO WHEN YOU WERE FIRST DIAGNOSED,
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOURSELF BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW NOW?
Elissa: I would say go to therapy early. I did not go to therapy until I basically broke down
after completing treatment. I realized I was depressed when I was no longer excited about
the upcoming holiday season, and I knew something was wrong. It was at that time that
I approached the inpatient social worker and asked her for a referral. I wish I had gone to
therapy early on in my treatment to process the emotions I was going through during all
the different phases. It would have helped me deal with the trauma of a cancer diagnosis,
treatment, and then moving into the uncertain world of survivorship. I didn't know how
to deal with the triggers that came throughout and after treatment. I pushed them away
and remember being so proud I could do that, but my therapist (following treatment) explained
that I was in therapy because I was pushing my emotions away instead of dealing
with them. I needed to deal with the trauma of my diagnosis. The best advice she gave me
was " Feel what you're going to feel. Sit with those emotions. They will pass. "
Lauren: I would say utilizing every resource that is available. I was one of those patients,
like many, who received a bunch of information about all the things I could have accessed,
such as camps and groups and I threw it in the back of my closet and didn't look at it. It
felt overwhelming to think about so I found my own way to cope, but if I could go back, I
would have participated in those programs. The resources are there for a reason! I could
have used the support. I would tell myself that " It's going to be OK, " because I thought I
was a tough cookie, but it wasn't always OK and I was alone with that. I felt so alone when
I didn't need to be alone.
Elissa: There is something to be said about resources like the LLS Community or other
young adult support organizations. Organizations like Elephants and Tea and Stupid Cancer
have great resources for young adults so that you can connect with others and won't feel so
alone. I am sure most young adults with cancer can relate when I say we were the youngest
people in the infusion center, and the people we connected with there were far older than us.
Lauren: I would also have told myself to get a second opinion. After the fact, there are aspects
of my care that may not have been necessary, so it would have been better for me to go to
an AYA specialist. Also, no one discussed fertility options with me, which would have been
something I would have liked to have information about or at least the reassurance that it
would be OK. (Elissa: It was not brought up for me either until I asked about birth control).
18
ELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM
SEPTEMBER 2022
During Young
Adulthood
Q&A

https://www.lls.org/support-resources/online-chats https://www.lls.org/support-resources/online-chats http://www.ELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM

Elephants and Tea - September 2022

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