Young adults with cancer face a unique set of challenges. Diagnosis brings distress and anxiety, impacting relationships and plans at a critical point in their lives. They often must navigate returning to school or work with uncertainty and limited peer support.
Wellspring Alberta understands the specific needs and preferences of young adults living with cancer and their supporters. To address these, our young adult programs aim to foster peer interaction in a relaxed environment. This opportunity for social support and networking helps enhance emotional well-being, reduce isolation, and improve overall quality of life.
The following resources may be useful to young adults as they navigate through a cancer diagnosis.
Our young adult team leads assist with young adult specific programming, creating an environment where young adults living with cancer feel safe and supported.
Misha discovered Wellspring in 2015 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Wellspring quickly became her second home and was the refuge she needed when her world was turned upside down by cancer.
Through Wellspring, Misha met other young adult survivors who helped her navigate the challenges of having cancer at a young age. She eventually started volunteering at Wellspring programs and became the young adult team lead for Calgary in 2017. In 2021, Misha also graduated with a Masters in Counselling and began working as a Psychologist.
Misha knows first-hand that having cancer at a young age can be isolating. As a result, she is passionate about creating an environment at Wellspring where young adults can build meaningful connections and feel part of a safe, supportive community.
A young adult cancer survivor, Mike first discovered Wellspring in 2018 following a life-threatening Leukemia diagnosis while he was undergoing treatment at Foothills Hospital in Calgary.
For Mike, there are few things that bring him a greater sense of purpose than engaging and connecting with the Wellspring young adult community.
He found the experience of engaging with other young adults who “get it” to be incredibly therapeutic, and was inspired to start a young adult’s group for cancer survivors in the central Alberta area, as well as a national video-chat program to connect young adult patients and survivors across the country. This led into Mike’s current role with Wellspring, which he has occupied since 2021.
Charitable #: 80901 3675 RR0001
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