Samantha Moreno-Ulibarri

Samantha I was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer called primary cutaneous gamma delta t-cell lymphoma in June of 2023. The only course of action for this diagnosis was intensive chemotherapy to prepare her for a bone marrow transplant which she underwent in December of 2023. Samatha is now about 21 months post transplant and doing well overall but with some intermittent hiccups along the way. The biggest hurdle she’s had work to overcome is what to do after all the “hard stuff.” No one prepares you for survivorship in the same way they do for treatment and once she was out of the acute treatment experience was when she really felt she was staring the real work of trying to re-identify herself after cancer, especially as a young adult. Samantha was extremely fortunate to have an excellent Young Adult Program within her own hospital that helped her find even more resources outside of them, including Cactus Cancer Society! She has found the YA community across the board to be extremely helpful in making her feel seen, supported, and like she has a place to truly and freely be herself after the cancer trauma and all! Her favorite thing about Cactus Cancer Society is that they not only create that environment but also incorporate crafting into that environment which is amazing for her because it’s hard for her to just sit still and talk always and she often need a little guidance in her crafting endeavors! Samantha is so happy to become part of this community through so many different avenues and groups that make up this incredible country wide YA community!