How community support makes all the difference
Ambassador Carolina shares what the Trekstock community means to her and how she found support from people who'd been through cancer treatment at a young age.
.webp)
Carolina, a Colombian lawyer, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in 2017. Trekstock connected her with people who were having similar experiences and she finally felt like she belonged. The best part? The feeling of hope she got from seeing others who had recovered and were getting their lives back on track.
I am a Colombian lawyer who, more than a decade ago decided to move to London to do an MBA in International Business and get to know the old continent. Then I fell in love with London and all its perks. I stayed working for a Law Firm and was pretty much a workaholic, fully submerged in my career.
I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in July 2017. After the diagnosis, I started fertility conservation treatment the next day and two weeks later, after my egg removal, I started my chemo. Nine months later I had a bone marrow transplant.
Feeling like the odd one out
I was an inpatient for all my treatment and I was in isolation all the time. The risk of infection was so high I decided to ask all my friends and family to visit as little as possible to avoid me catching viruses and bacterias. That created a distance between my friends, family and colleagues. However, the physical distance created was not an issue until I realised no one else within my group of friends had had cancer. I felt like the odd one and you don’t want to overwhelm people talking about cancer and its wide side effects all the time. I felt everyone just looked at me like a sick little lamb and couldn't really relate to me on the kind of feelings and experience.
Discovering Trekstock
I found Trekstock in October 2018, through the Guy’s Cancer Centre Yoga Teacher, Joelle, as I had asked her if I could be placed in a cancer yoga/meditation group for younger people. She said that there were no other young people but I could get in touch with Trekstock as they ran yoga classes and activities for young adults with cancer.
When I found Trekstock and their lovely community, it was brilliant and like a breath of fresh air as I could finally talk about all my cancer experience honestly and openly with others within my age group. They really understood what I was talking about and vice versa.
Connecting with others
I love the fact that I can connect so easily with other young adults thanks to the safe networking environment that Trekstock creates. It allows us to get to know each other and share our cancer experiences and our life after cancer.
I've connected with many people and made great friendships. And these friendships have become as important and valuable as any other of my friendships before cancer.
Every single programme that Trekstock has offered, I have taken, and I have learned loads. They all help us get empowered on how to take care of our health better after cancer and how to make sure that we have a strong voice when pushing to be heard about any health concerns.
Community is invaluable
The community and connecting people is invaluable for me and is one of the gems of this charity. The network created has the most value for us, as this really allows us to feel normal again and not just the odd one out of the bunch diagnosed with cancer when young.
By hearing the stories of other young adults with cancer, it helps us to feel encouraged and safer that things do get better, and that it is worth keeping hold of hope as you see many of us way ahead of the game all recovered and with their life’s back on track.
Other resources
Conversations around cancer aren't always easy. Whether you're talking to your pals, loved ones, partner or even your medical team, knowing how to deal with topics that might feel tricky can go a long way in helping you manage your relationships. Check out our top tips for having those difficult conversations.
Whether you're dating, in a serious relationship, having a bit of fun or committed to be together for the rest of your lives, when your partner's diagnosed with cancer it can bring some big challenges along. Suddenly you've both got a lot to deal with. Working out how to support each other, and yourselves, is key for moving forward.
Lifting the Lid aims to create a safe environment to delve into important topics, while letting our community of people living life alongside cancer know that there are experts on hand who understand their experiences. Check out the full library
.png)
If you’re the parent of someone in our community with cancer, we know there’s not a lot of information out there to support you. We explore how you might be feeling, how you can help and how to take care of yourself in amongst it all.
When you’re in your 20s or 30s and you’re diagnosed with cancer, lots of things change. One of the things you’ve told us can be most difficult, is navigating friendships in life alongside cancer. We unpick the gnarly topic of friendship and cancer, offering tips and advice for managing your relationships.
Whether you love it or hate it, exercising beyond a cancer diagnosis can be hugely beneficial. We look at the things that might be stopping you from exercising and help unpick how to tackle them
Sean was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma when he was 28. At the time, he was a self-employed personal trainer and found that his cancer caused paralysing pain. Now, Sean is back on his fitness journey and has joined us as a RENEW trainer. He shares the story of his experience from patient to cancer exercise specialist with us.
What do you need to know about food and cancer? It's the wild, wild West out there, so we worked with some brill experts and friends to bring you everything you need to know. Our guide is a no-nonsense, evidence based guide designed with you in mind.
Navigating sex and cancer is a minefield. Whether you’re trying to do the deed after diagnosis, you’re living with cancer or you’re in the realms of that elusive new normal we hear so much about, the truth is, the whole thing can be, well...Tricky. Here's our tips on sex and cancer
Parenting is tough enough without adding cancer into the mix. While there's no single formula that can make parenting through cancer easy; there are some practical tools, strategies, resources and services that can help.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis in your 20s or 30s is hard enough. When you are from the LGBTQIA+ community there can be a number of issues you may face. One of these may be your sex life and sexual health. Stewart from LGBTQIA+ cancer support charity OUTpatients and experts share their tips and advice that can help you navigate sex after cancer.
Menopause is a common but not often discussed side effect of breast cancer treatment. Stacey didn't realise how much her menopausal symptoms were impacting her until she joined Trekstock's menopause programme.
.webp)
Lydia's cancer diagnosis when she was. Her diagnosis meant she had to undergo a complete hysterectomy – having her uterus and cervix removed. As a result, she found herself facing the menopause. Here’s her story on how she’s reached an understanding with her symptoms.
Early menopause is a side effect of cancer treatment a lot of people aren't prepared for. There are ways to cope and to manage those side effects. However early menopause is impacting you, Dr Lousie Newson, GP and menopause specialist, has some tips.
Exercise and cancer don't seem like ideal partners. But the truth is they go together exceptionally well. Exercise has tonnes of benefits for those going through cancer treatment and living with any long term impacts. Exercise physiologist Tom Cowan explains the benefits of exercising with cancer and shares the best ways to make it work for you.
.jpg)
Living life alongside cancer when you’re in your 20s or 30s brings its own unique set of challenges. But we exist to help you make the most of the parallel lives you’re living as both patient and person. Here’s a rundown of everything we offer.
We're able to consume more content and information than ever before. A world of news, dating apps and online shopping is always just a few seconds away. But humans have not evolved to handle this kind of consumption. We're still in the process of figuring out what exactly it does to us. This year's Men's Mental Health Week is focusing on the internet and its impact on male mental health
There are loads of ways to nurture body confidence, even with cancer in the mix. We're here to support you every step of the way, providing resources to enhance both your physical and mental well-being. Together, we can help you embrace self-love and find a sense of comfort in your own skin, even in the face of cancer.
So you’ve just been told you’ve got cancer. And then you’re told your ability to have kids in the future might be impacted too. Because cancer’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Finding out you might be infertile because of your cancer treatment can have a huge emotional impact. Even if kids are the last thing on your mind, making sense of having this decision taken away from you is important. If you’re experiencing fertility issues and it’s impacting your mental health, it’s OK. There are people and organisations out there designed to help.
Just because you've been diagnosed with cancer during your education doesn't mean you should be held back. Here's everything you need to know about living life alongside cancer and education
Tips for opening up about your health at work - from what your rights are to how to talk to your employer and what to do if you decide to stop working.
Because navigating friendships in your 20s or 30s is hard enough without cancer.
No matter who you are, the physical changes that might occur because of cancer or its treatments can be really difficult. Whether you're dealing with nausea, hair loss, early menopause or anything else, learning how to manage these impacts is key to a better quality of life.
Cancer’s an emotional rollercoaster. It’s OK to find it tough to cope.