Flock Together. Well, several of us interested in the driving forces behind the new Teen and Young Adult Cancer Program at Seattle's Children's Hospital, namely, Dr. Becky Johnson, gathered in DC's Smith Center for the Healing Arts for a talk on how Seattle tackled this issue as well as what remains to be done. Of course there are many foundations, camps and programs benefitting pediatric cancers (as well as there should be), but the "gap" cancer population (18-39) is under served, as I learned as such today. A few centers are trying to garner support throughout the US, but so much more could be done to provide better medical care and psychosocial services to the AYA cancer population.
There are no easy answers, plenty of questions, but thankfully, and according to Dr. Johnson, grass root efforts led by both the medical communities and advocates to better serve teens and young adults with cancer, as well as the growing numbers of childhood cancers survivors. I can only hope that the dialog today in DC takes hold for incoming programs to benefit these age groups.
BSoleille! Live each day!
Photo of the very colorful origami bird installation at the Smith Center on U Street.
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