Fall Books to Curl Up With

We love books here at Cactus Cancer Society. We ran a traditional “read and let’s discuss” Book Club for many years before it morphed into our current Creative Arts Book Club. There’s something about fall that suggests we grab a warm beverage, a book, and maybe even a blanket. If you’re feeling the same inclination, and in honor of our Miniature Book Club Art Workshop next month, here are some suggested reads to add to your To Be Read (aka your TBR) pile or your next library stop!

Previous Cactus Cancer Society Book Club Picks
You can check out the insights and dialogue from our community by clicking on the Book Club link or by searching the title on our Young Adult Voices Blog!

Planet Cancer by Heidi Schultz Adams & Christopher Schultz
Everything Changes: The Insider’s Guide to Cancer in Your 20s and 30s by Kairol Rosenthal
Rising Strong by Brene Brown
I’m Just A Person by Tig Notaro
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Mom’s Marijuana by Dan Shapiro
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler
Brave Enough by Kati Gardner
Finding Balance by Kati Gardner
The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
The Martian by Andy Weir
The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Cactus Cancer Society Team Favorites
We asked our team for their favorite fall reads, which we loosely interpreted as anything that falls under the category of cozy, academia-focused, or spooky. We also asked for a favorite cancer read, which could be anything from our Cactus Cancer Society book club list or something else entirely. Trust us – the takes got hot and the conversation was lively!

Mallory
Favorite Fall Read: Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
Favorite Cancer Read: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Aerial
Favorite Fall Read: Failure is Not an Option by Gene Kranz
Favorite Cancer Read: It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too) by Nora McInerny Purmort
Lauren C.
Favorite Fall Read: The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Favorite Cancer Read: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Lauren M.
Favorite Fall Read: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Favorite Cancer Read: Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
Christina
Favorite Fall Read: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Favorite Cancer Read: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Stephen:
Favorite Fall Read: On Writing by Stephen King
Favorite Cancer Read: Mom’s Marijuana by Dan Shapiro

Happy reading!

Introducing: Lauren Morales!

We’re so excited to introduce our newest team member, Lauren Morales, LCSW! She is our Senior Program Coordinator, meaning you’ll be seeing her in tons of programs over the next few months, although you may have already met her as a community member. Read on to learn more about what brought Lauren to the Cactus Cancer Society Team. We know you’ll be joining her fan club, just like we have!

Hi community!

I’m so excited to be joining the Cactus Cancer team and to be a part of the mission to provide a safe space for YA’s navigating cancer. I know firsthand the importance of connecting with others during cancer because I’ve lived it!

At the age of 30, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and full-throttled into the world of oncology. At the time, I was living in North Carolina, having just moved there a few months prior due to my husband’s military orders. My husband is an active duty Marine and was deployed in another country when I was diagnosed. I struggled to navigate my diagnosis, not only because it was cancer, but I felt really alone in a new place with no local support.

Enter the AYA online community! I stumbled into the AYA space from Instagram and started to attend online programs once my treatment had begun. Finding other people who were my age learning to deal with cancer meant the world to me and reduced my isolation by tenfold, even once my husband was able to return home. In the online AYA space, I didn’t just find community, I made lifelong friends and started to rebuild hope in the process.

Once I reached NED, I felt called to take my experience into my professional work. I decided to further pivot my work in clinical social work to the oncology and chronic illness spaces. My background in social work, trauma therapy, and medical systems navigation has helped me to better articulate how important advocacy, creative coping, and safe community spaces are in creating fertile ground for healing, resilience, and empowerment. I am so excited to bring both my lived experience and my professional background into this role to help empower all of you in your healing journey, however that may look!

When I am not working, you can find me cuddled up with my two dogs, Rocky and Luna, who are the absolute apples of my eye. I love a good fantasy book, have some strong opinions on coffee consumption, and am a West Coast girlie at heart. I wouldn’t call myself an artist, but I love to be creative and have so much fun doing anything with acrylics or DIY holiday decor. I also really enjoy writing, specifically poetry, and all things Mexican food and sushi.

I can’t wait to jump in with all of you and want to thank you in advance for the honor of holding space with you while you navigate life with cancer, as a caregiver, or as a provider in oncology.

With gratitude, 

Lauren Morales, LCSW

Calling All Guys: Ready, Set, Build!

Some of our most popular programs here at Cactus Cancer Society are our Builders Workshops. They’re a space where builders can get together to construct LEGO kits: with our signature community vibes, conversation where anything goes, and everything you need sent to your door. We’ve got another one coming up, and this one is just for guys!

This build puts YOU in the driver’s seat. Your program, your conversation, your way!

If you are a guy ages 18-45 and like LEGOs, we want YOU to join us for a special two-week build on Tuesday, September 9th and Tuesday, September 16th. From 4:30-6:30pm PT / 5:30-7:30 CT / 7:30-9:30pm ET, you’ll grab your kit and assemble LEGO Set #40819 – a racing driver minifigure. By the time you cross the finish line with the checkered flag waiting, you’ll have an awesome build to proudly display.

All the details are below, but don’t wait – spots are limited!

WHO: Young adult guys facing cancer (that’s you, champ!)

WHAT: Guys Only Builder’s Workshop – LEGO Set #40819, good convo, and chill vibes

WHEN: Tuesdays, September 9th & 16th; 4:30–6:30pm PT / 6:30–8:30pm CT / 7:30–9:30pm ET

WHERE: Online via Zoom – we’ll send you the link and the LEGOs!

Sound good? Learn more and sign up here!

Fresh Ink: Fifteen Minutes

We are proud to share the work of our Cactus Cancer Society community writers here on our blog, including this piece, which is part of a series entitled Fresh Ink.

We value the voices of our community members and would love to share your words. If you would like to contribute to our blog here at Cactus Cancer Society, please email christina@cactuscancer.org. 


“Fifteen Minutes,” by Anjali Kapoor-Davis

Soak for fifteen minutes in Epsom salt
to heal the sore. How could anything heal
in fifteen minutes? Fifteen minutes is

an eternity to soak in a tub of warm water
with no suds to conceal the flesh. Eyes
struggle to find a place that the mind does not

criticize. Unshaven legs bob up and down
slowly remembering the motion of a swim
stroke. There is not enough room here for laps.

Adjusting each cheek to ensure a seal does
not occur in the fiberglass cubicle. Mango
shaped breasts lay lazily on the curves of

the waist. The firmness has given way
to squish. Will fifteen minutes be enough
time to forgive myself? Self-loathing comes

easier to me. Is it long enough to heal the soul?
Fifteen minutes is not enough time for a doctors
appointment when the diagnosis is cancer.

Calendars fill with doctors’ appointments
instead of lunches with friends, kids play dates,
and vacations. In fifteen minutes, life changes.

Fifteen minutes, he made me wait again in the
hot car. I should be happy that he is making friends
and not clinging to my side but I miss those days

when it was just us. His childhood seems to have
flown by in fifteen minutes. I would love fifteen more
minutes to play on swings, cuddle on the couch,

or make mud pies in the yard once again. I start
the music on my phone nestled in a basket of rolled
up washcloths ready for scrubbing. I need a

distraction for these fifteen minutes,
I can’t bring myself to just exist.
I am more than I can handle for fifteen minutes.

Anjali Kapoor-Davis is a playwright, poet, and flash fiction writer. She writes about the challenges she has faced as a thyroid cancer patient and the simple joys of life. Anjali loves spending time with her family, baking, and advocating for thyroid cancer patients. 

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!

The Young Adult Cancer Survivor Study

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.

This study for young adult cancer survivors is being run by a fellow young adult cancer survivor.  For more info, watch the research team’s informational YouTube video at https://youtu.be/xDlnWKvtkuU.

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?

Learn more at https://youtu.be/xDlnWKvtkuU.  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.

Join Our Next Survivorship Series!

Our Late Fall cohort of our popular Survivorship Series has a few more spots remaining!

Not familiar with our Survivorship Series? You’ll get the best of our Cactus Cancer Society programming, all with the comfort of hanging the same group of young adults facing cancer each week.

Together, 25 young adults facing cancer (patients and survivors alike) will go through an 8-week, online program experience where you’ll hit the highlights of our workshops! You’ll form a tight-knit community and each week, you’ll take part in a different 2-hour program with the same group of young adults moving together through the series.

After our in-person workshops, you’ll have access to a private social media group for your cohort of 25 young adults where you can connect and communicate. Please note, when you sign up you are committing to take part in all 8 weeks.

Sound like your cup of tea? Sign up here!