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My name is Jessica, I'm 22 years old, and I have just been diagnosed with stage IIc ovarian cancer. I am looking for a "friend" to talk to while going through this new stage in my life. I have been checking different places, but it is not very common for someone my age to have ovarian cancer. I would love to get to know someone else my age that could tell me about what they have gone thru! Thanks and God Bless!
Cancer Hormone replacement therapy Surgery Hysterectomy Melanoma Vulvar cancer Ovarian cancer Pain Menopause Muscular dystrophy Climara
Jessica,
I hope that you find a lot of help here on this message board!
I would also suggest that you check out the Young Survival Coalition at http://www.youngsurvival.org/ and Planet Cancer at http://www.planetcancer.org/.
You will be in my thoughts - let me know if there's any way I can help.
Cara
Jessica,
I am a 62 year old survivor, BUT my niece was diagnosed 27 (yes, 27) years ago with Ovarian Cancer at the age of 22. So, it is not a death sentence! She lives in California and had very early experimental IP Cisplatin. She was told she would never be able to get pregnant, but about 5 years later did! Please email me at jimlaura@ionet.net and I will give her your contact information so perhaps you can visit with her. Blessings, Laura
Hi, my name is Suzi and I was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer 2 1/2 years ago, about a week before my 23rd birthday. I actually had my hysterectomy on Valentines day. I also found it hard to find others in our age group. Everyone seemed to be a lot older. The hardest thing for me by far was having to have a hysterectomy. I didn't really struggle with being told I had cancer or had to have chemo and what not but being told I had to have a hysterectomy was utterly devasting for me.
I have had almost every chemo drug out there and radiation too. I have tried natural remedies and diet changes. My best advice that I have figured out is to not take any Hormone replacement therapy. My doctors wanted me on HRT since I was so young and it was fueling my cancer ot grow. It took me about a year and a half to figure that out though.
Good luck and I hope to hear from you soon. I would love to talk to you more!
I hate to hear that at your age. My name is jennifer I am 28 and in June 2007 was diagnosed with stage 3C ovarian. I had surgery and started chemo in AUgust 2007. There are days where I have thought why me but I don't anymore I just look at this like it's a disease and the chemo is the medicine that is required. I know how hard it is not only on you but how hard it can be on the family. One thing to have is a good support system. IF you have any questions feel free to ask and make sure you ask your doctor a lot of questions (if you can go to a gyn oncologist) that is there job.
Take care of yourself
Jennifer
I wanted to follow up and give you some more info:
Linda Koteen at the SHARE office 212-719-0364 (NYC) can put you in touch with someone your age.
Here's the group I mentioned in my first response to you;
2Young-4Gyn-Cancer
To join:
http://listserv.acor.org/archives/2young-4gyn-cancer.html
Click on join. If you have any problems you can write to:
2Young-4Gyn-Cancer-request@listserv.acor.org.
How are you feeling?
Sorry Jessica that I am not your age, but I will be glad to talk in email. My partner Lynn is 47 and she is recently diagnosed as well, as of October 4. She's a very young 47 and her doctor tells her that they will "grow grey together." I feel that you will grow grey together with someone too. As for me, I'm mostly already there!
All the best,
Joseph
Hi Jessica,
I was diagnosed wtih stage 1c cancer 5 months ago at age 29. I am now 6 weeks out of chemo and starting to feel a little better - on the road to recovery.
I would like to chat with you. Tell you my experience.
Take care.
Well Hello Jessica,
I just want to first start off by telling you---YOU are not alone. I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in June of 2005 and at the time I was 20 years old and I just celebrated my 23 birthday. I did not have to go through chemo, but I did have to have 3 surgeries, but I hope that you do not have to go through all of that. I have been Cancer free for 1 year now as of Oct 2007 and my last diagnosis was a Stage IIIC. So i can relate to everything that you are going through. it is very hard being young with a disease that is said to not really affect people in our age group. Me being an African American woman it is even less common. I wish i was in your area so that I could just give you a hug. If you knew how excited I was right now to know that you are bold enough to reach out for support. It brings a tear to my eye. I have added you to my friends list so please accept. xoxo--Roberta
Hi Jessica
My name is Stephanie and I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 at the age of 21. My story is kind of long and complicated, but I have it on my myspace account. You can check it out at www.myspace.com/stephaniewetzstein. I would love to talk to to and answer any questions you have. Feel free to contact me. My email is sbw518@yahoo.com and if you want to talk on the phone I will give you my number. I would actually love to talk to another young patient myself.
hi jessica, my name is rhiannon, im 19 years old with all the symptoms of ovarian cancer. i dont know what to do, i went to my doctor and she said im too young to have ovarian cancer. everyone thinks im crazy to think that i have this.im very scared can someone please help me?
also jessica, im very sorry to hear that you have ovarian cancer i hope you feel better very soon.
thanks, rhiannon
Jessica,
I don't have OC but my Mother does. I cannot talk about personal experiences but I can talk about how I felt through my Mother's treatments. Everyone needs someone to talk to and discuss things with. Would love to hear more about your journey.
You are in my prayers,
Julia
I'm not in your age group either, but I was diagnosed stage 3c ovarian cancer Feb.'07, went through 6 chemo treatments, and was declared cancer-free Aug.'07. I was born with muscular dystrophy, then got dealt ovarian cancer too. Seemed like my life was a joke, but God doesn't give us more than we can handle. Believing in God and strong support from family and friends really helps. You've got to keep a positive attitude too. My positive attitude is what helped me most.
I wish you the best in life.
Take care & God Bless!
Hi Jessica!
I hope that today was well for you! I was first diagnosed at 27, didn't think it was cancer so there was no staging. However, I know all of the feelings you are having. I will talk, I love to talk. I will pray for you! Be well, tomorrow =)
Nikki
Hi Jessica! My name is Ann and I was diagnosed with a borderline stage III ovarian cancer in March. I'm only 31 years old and never considered anything like this could ever happen to me either! It's great to know other young women are out there! Here's my story . . . I went to the doctor for a check-up (to see why I wasn't getting pregnant) and the doctor did an immediate ultrasound then scared me with the C word. To make a long story short, I got a second opinion and found a much better doctor with a fabulous bedside manner. Within three weeks, I had surgery. I call it "surprise surgery" because I had no idea of the outcome. Unfortunately, the doctor broke the "cancer" news to me the next morning. I ended up having a radical hysterectomy which put my body into surgical menopause. After a few nights of hot flashes, I was put on the hormone patch (Climara) which works wonders. My body has done a great job recovering physically . . . now I just have to work on recovering psychologically. I guess it just takes a good support system. That's why we are here chatting! Thanks so much for sharing!
rhia, Please don't let them tell you you are to young! I was told that I was to young to have colon cancer for 2 years. When I finally was tested, I was stage three colon cancer. If they had tested me immediatley I would have been stage 1. I was 46 years old which to you might sound ancient, but they don't even start testing for colon cancer until age 50. There is always that exception to the rule, I know I was one of the exceptions. Your doctor works for you, insist on testing and do not leave the office untill she or he agrees! Print this e-mail and stick it in their face, do whatever you have to do to get their attention including temper tantrums if you have to! Good Luck! Peace. And if none of the above works, find a doctor who deals in reality!
No one is too young.....
My daughter was diagnoised at 21 & passed away from ovarian cancer at 22. Make them listen.
go to meghansmessage.com or join the cause "Meghan's Message" on facebook.com or myspace.com.
Hi Jessica my name is Liz and I am also 22. I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when I was 21. I would be happy to help you through this time in your life. It is a rare thing to go through at our age and it almost seems unfair. But you will get through it and be stronger than ever.
I am not in your age group ,but wanted you to know that many are here to give you support. I know when I went to my first chemo and there was a young woman there who was the age of my granddaughter I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I asked my Dr about it and he said that in most cases although the side effects are pretty terrible the young women do pretty well. He was pretty angry that Drs. seem to have an ageist idea when it comes to ovca.
Rhia I suggest you go see a gyn/onocologist . They have seen it in young women & are wiling to listen.
I was not diagnosed for over a year & if not for my own research and initiative . I probably wouldn't have been until it was to late. I actually did research on what I needed to be exhibiting to get the test I wanted and then went into the emergency room with those symptoms and got the test.In the Drs. defense I did not exhibit the symptoms they consider normal.
Hey Jessica-
My name is Kim-- I'm 22 and I was just diagnosed with Vulvar Cancer-- formed out of a malignant melanoma that was located on my vaginal area... I may not have your particular disease but, I'm sure I know the feelings you're going through.
My cancer story is a rarity-- my cancer makes up for about 4% of cancer in women... and only 20% of Vulvar cancers form from melanomas. When I was diagnosed initially I didn't believe it. I'm 22 I'm not suppose to have cancer let alone a cancer that the majority of women get over 40. I honestly don't know why this happened to me.
Since my disease is so advance they are not only discussing a radical vulvetocmy but also a hysterectomy if the cancer has spread-- which they believe it has. I haven't even begun my fight and I've already lost so much. I don't even know how to tell my boyfriend-- who I have been dating for years and was planning a family with-- about how mutilated my body will become or the fact that all our dreams may have died before they really began.
It's weird how this has put everything into perspective- when dealing with the pressures of college-- my biggest fear went from which classes to take next term to how to cope with my vulvectomy.
I'm trying to be positive about my prognosis but I'm a realist. I know the odds are not in my favor. I'm pretty lucky though I have a good support system and my father is actually an oncologist. We never assumed anyone in our own family would ever go through cancer-- let alone this type of aggressive and unusual cancer.
I just can't get over how ungrossly unfair this is... How much my family did not deserve this-- how much I did not deserve this.I can't help from crying most days... I cry ALL THE TIME. I cry during my MRIs, during my visits to my dermatologist, to my gyno-oncologist- I cry all the time.
My parents are recommending I put my college schedule on hold-- I was schedule to graduate this year and the idea of not graduating with my friends... just kills me. School has been keeping me busy and away from all the horrible, morbid, proganisises and tests... I feel like in a way I need it... but I'm not sure if I can physically deal with what my body is going through and school at the same time- as well as rounds of possible chemo.
Fear of pain is a big thing for me... The weird thing for me is despite my cancer I feel relatively NO pain whatsoever-- so the idea of being in pain and suffering really scares me... I could barely handle the intial biopsy- so the idea of rounds of chemo and removing my gential material scares me to death.
But most of all what upsets me more than anything else is the feeling despite my support network I'm somehow alone- due to my age... that no one can really understand what I'm going through because NO one in my family has ever had their world come crumbling down like I've had.
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