Cancer didn’t come with instructions. Let’s talk about it.
Young adult cancer doesn’t just affect your body. It reaches into your relationships, your confidence, your timeline, your identity, and your mental health. It can quietly reshape your sense of “what now?” in ways you didn’t see coming. And the questions that follow aren’t always neat or easy to name.
You might be here because part of you is wondering something big, something awkward, something heart-heavy, or something you’ve typed into Google at 2 am and then deleted again. Maybe you are struggling with scanxiety or found that anxiety hasn’t left even after treatment ended. Maybe confidence feels like a guest who left and never came back, and you’re unsure how to love your body again. Maybe you were ghosted by a friend or family member, or you feel awkward and uncomfortable around “muggles” when they discuss their day-to-day because you can’t relate. Maybe love, dating, and family building have completely shifted for you, and you don’t know how to cope. Maybe you’re juggling caregiving and asking yourself how you can stay devoted without burning out. Maybe you aren’t sure how to navigate tough conversations at work about your treatment or what you even want to do for your career now. Or maybe humor is how you are getting through this….and is that okay?
If any of that sounds like you, you are in the right place. Big questions. Small questions. The ones that keep you up at night or make you laugh nervously in the middle of dinner. The ones you’re not sure you’re allowed to ask out loud.
This is a place to start asking them.
Ask Perrie is an advice column created for young adult cancer patients, survivors, thrivers, caregivers, and co-survivors. While Perrie is our beloved Cactus Cancer Society mascot, responses are written by Lauren Morales, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and young adult cancer survivor, with experience on both sides of the chair and a clinical background supporting folx across the cancer continuum. All questions are submitted anonymously. Selected questions will be answered publicly on the Cactus Cancer Society blog and shared across our social media channels. Questions may be lightly edited for clarity and length, and all identifying details will be removed.
New responses will be published regularly, so check back often!
Disclaimer: Ask Perrie is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. We can’t provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or crisis counseling through this column. Ask Perrie is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please contact 988 (U.S.) or your local crisis service.