As many of you know, I have been working on a young adult cancer stories booklet and resource guide. I put out the call for your stories- those of you who are young adult cancer patients and survivors, or their friends, families, partners or caregivers. The initial response was wonderful, and a lot of people were willing to participate. With everyone's interest and support, I applied for and received a Seed Award from the Sprout Fund, and my dreams for this booklet were suddenly within my grasp.
Stories trickled in slowly and each one moved me. However, the trickle eventually stopped, and I have been trying to collect the last few straggling submissions. Ive pushed back the release date of the booklet, and have decided March would be the best time anyway, to mark the month of my husband's passing with something more than grief and sadness. Now, as deadlines are approaching and we have less time to get this thing together, I need all of you more than ever! If you are currently working on a submission PLEASE try to get it to me by this friday, December 18th. If you are interested in submitting a story, the same applies!
Grant or no grant, this booklet will not be possible without those of you who have a story to share. Your experiences, challenges and successes can help other young adults embarking on their own cancer journeys, it can ease the feeling of isolation, open up dialogues between young adult cancer patients and the people who love them and raise awareness of young adult cancer in our community. I know that writing about or sharing something so personal is no easy task. Submissions, around 1000 words in length, can be submitted anonymously if preferred. Writers who are ok with attaching their names to their stories can also include a 2 or 3 sentence bio.
Please contact me at BRICKSpgh at gmail dot com for more information, or to submit your story. Thank you to those of you who have submitted already, and I am looking forward to reading new stories!
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