Care Guideline #10: Making Connections
The 10th and final guideline from our Care Guidelines for Young Women with Breast Cancer is one that has always helped guide our work at Rethink: connecting young women with breast cancer who have shared experiences.
Cancer can be extremely isolating, especially for younger patients who have to work harder to find others who can relate to what they’re going through.
Here are two testimonials from young women supporting Care Guideline #10:
“Diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age with a one year old son, I desperately wanted to connect with other young women who had been through what I was about to go through. I needed hope. But there were no resources to connect me with these women.We have made some strides here, but there is still much more that needs to be done.”–Tasha, diagnosed at age 32
“Having metastatic breast cancer in your 30’s can be extremely isolating. I am a minority of a minority. Connecting with other women who have walked in my shoes has given me the confidence to live my life condensed. To face my fears and my mortality. It has empowered my voice and my sense of self. Building a community of young metastatic women is essential to quality of life.”–Anna, diagnosed at age 35
