Make Our Tenth Anniversary Anthology One for the Books!

Have you heard? Our tenth anniversary is next year! To celebrate a decade of programming and support for young adult cancer patients, we are publishing an Anthology. Picture a printed book of beautiful written and visual work by your fellow program participants, plus all kinds of photos and statistics about the last ten years.

But just like our programs, this anthology won’t be the same without YOU. We need your creativity and your faces to make this anthology everything it can be!

Here’s how you can contribute:

  1. Submit a piece for our anthology! Because of our programs, have you developed a love of collage, watercolor, embroidery, or neurographic art? Do you have poems, essays, or written pieces from Unspoken Ink, 30 Minute Tune Up, or Coffee and Oodles? We want photos or a copy of what you’ve created as a result of one of our programs!
  2. Share photos of yourself with other prickly and resilient friends! If you’ve met other Cactus Cancer Society friends and have photos, send them along: we want them in our pages!

We’re so excited to get this book in your hands- and we are even more excited to have this book represent our amazing community!

Our Anthology: Perfect for Everyone On Your Shopping List!

We’ve got a holiday present coming that has been a decade in the making – and it will be one for everyone on your list!

In celebration of our tenth birthday next Spring, we are publishing a first-of-its-kind, long-awaited Cactus Cancer Society Anthology! The anthology will boast photos of beautiful visual art pieces, and powerfully written poems and short stories, all created by our young adult cancer community members. You will not want to miss the chance to own this limited-edition art collection and piece of Cactus Cancer Society history!

Here’s how you can reserve a copy for everyone on your list from this limited edition run:

  1. You can snag your anthology copy AND add a line of dedication to the anthology itself! For $45, you can contribute your own message. Take a line to wish your gift recipient a wonderful New Year! Thank your oncologist in writing! Thank your great uncle Pat for gifting you an art set when you were nine!
  2. You can also pre-order your copy of the anthology as-is. For $30, you can tell them their book is on the way once it’s hot off the presses.
  3. Pocket feeling a bit light from holiday shopping? You can grab your anthology for $40 after the pre-sale closes on February 15, 2025.

One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is a gift to look forward to, and that’s just what this anthology will be. Be the hero of this holiday season and the spring when the anthology is in their hands.

Ask a Cactus: Clinical Trials and Patient Experience

This is our final video in our Ask a Cactus Series on Clinical Trials! Hear from Laura, a Nurse Practioner at UCSF who answers all sorts of questions about clinical trials! In this video, she’ll talk about the healthcare team taking care of you during a clinical trial and where to ask questions, the ethics governing clinical trials, the rights you have as a participant, how much is might cost, and more.

Continue reading

How do stress, conflict, and isolation impact cancer outcomes?

Here at Cactus Cancer Society, we believe in the power of research for improving the lives of those who may be diagnosed with cancer in the future.  We’re always interested in amplifying the voices and experiences of young adults facing cancer, and making sure this population is represented in research. Check out the research opportunity below to see how you can use your story to help others!

Social Genomic Mechanisms of Health Disparities Among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors

The purpose of this study is to understand more about how the world that teen and young adult lymphoma survivors live in affects the outcomes of their cancer treatment. We call this field of research social genomics, and it takes a close look at why and how different factors like social stress, conflict, and isolation can impact cancer diagnoses and outcomes.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

  • Were diagnosed with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma between the ages of 15 and 39
  • Are currently between the ages of 18 and 39
  • Completed treatment within the past three years

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

You’ll be asked to complete an online survey every six months for two years and provide a blood sample every six months for two years.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive a $20 gift card each time they complete a survey and provide a blood sample (5 times for a total of $100).

How Do I Sign Up?

To sign up to participate, visit https://redcapproduction.umms.med.umich.edu/surveys/?s=ATKW4KFCEYHL9YR3

Pinky Promise: You Can Tell Us Your Secrets!

Holding on to a secret is hard. They can be complicated (love triangles!), emotionally fraught (feeling lost or scared), or just plain silly (craving kimchi every night during treatment). Want to let it off your chest, but not sure where to put it?

We have a brand new program at Cactus Cancer Society called Cancer Secrets! Here’s how it works. You write your secret on a postcard. It can be a beautiful, artistic rendering with your words on top, or it can be scribbled on the back of a receipt that you tape to a pre-existing postcard. However you choose to represent that secret is up to you! These are 100% anonymous. After you create your secret, you drop it in the mail to us at the address below:

Cancer Secrets
PO Box 282
Bordentown, NJ 08505

Once we receive your postcard, we will photograph it and share it on our social media accounts. Here’s where the magic begins: your secret is shared with other people. We’re willing to bet that folks to read your secret will feel a sense of connection, whether it is because they have the same or similar feelings, or because they are extending empathy to you. It’s way to let us laugh, cry, rage, or celebrate with you – anonymously, leaving nothing off the table.

So go ahead, grab that pen, and trust us with your secret. We can keep it: pinky promise.