Alec’s Story for AYA Week
When I was a freshman in college, I was diagnosed with a 19 cm. long Ewing Sarcoma in my left pelvis. It was sitting on a set of nerves that ran down my left leg which caused muscle atrophy to the point when I couldn’t effectively use my left leg. When you are required to be in the hospital for 12 hours one day, six the next, and four the day after (and that’s just ¼ of the treatment), the space you’re in matters. I was receiving treatment in a hospital where there was no one within ten years of my age getting chemotherapy. On the first day in the hospital, the nurse walked in and asked me if I wanted a balloon animal or some crayons. The room across the hall had blocks, cars, and toys. I was 15 years old. This left me isolated in my little room with a curtain and only my parents to talk to.
I often walked around with my chemo pole as the chemotherapy flooded my veins; I felt alone. It’s like how they tell you that ‘sometimes, you can be the most alone in a crowded room.’ I was afraid because I had no one to connect with. I knew I was going to be okay, but I wanted someone my own age to talk to; swap stories and tips with, to laugh, scream or cry. Cancer is a lot. No one tells you that the hospital you’re being treated in or the people around you, matters so much.
I thank my lucky stars every day that I found Teen Cancer America. I met my people, my family and teens I could connect with; but only after I had finished my initial treatment. Teens deserve facilities and spaces catered to them. They need to be surrounded by other teens to remind them that they are not alone. That is why TCA’s mission to build hospital spaces for teens is so crucial, and I wish more than anything that I could’ve been originally treated in one of those centers. When I discovered UCLA’s Daltrey Townshend Teen and Young Adult Cancer program, I cannot describe how much that changed my experience during treatment. I made friends with the other patients, nurses and doctors, and there was a place for me to go play board games or hang out with my friends when they came to visit! Even if I wasn’t feeling up to leaving the room, having the option to have video games brought to my room changed what could’ve been the worst year of my life, into a year filled with memories and people I’ll never forget.
The reason I am able to talk so openly about my year of chemotherapy, is because of the space provided by Teen Cancer America, thank you UCLA and Teen Cancer America!