Planet Cancer - 9780762759019

Each year, nearly 70,000 young adults between 18 and 40 are diagnosed in the United States with cancer. While there are many sources of information for patients, the special concerns of this age group are rarely discussed. One remarkable exception is PlanetCancer.org. For nearly a decade, those in this “gap” age have sought out this online community for resources, networks, and support from those who have been there and done that.
 

Planet Cancer is an honest, down-to-earth guide to living in this new world, from Diagnosis to Post-Treatment. Each chapter is informed by Planet Cancer's voice—authoritative, funny, friendly, no-nonsense. Experts address issues from all sides around bedrock “What It's Really Like” essays: deeply personal, unflinching, and often hilarious pieces written by people who actually experienced on Planet Cancer things like banking sperm, adopting a child, or undergoing brain radiation. The book, enlivened with quotes and real-life stories from Planet Cancer members, gives the uninitiated a sense of being there and removes some of the mystery and fear of the unknown.

Heidi Schultz Adams founded Planet Cancer in 2001 after her own treatment at twenty-six for a rare type of bone cancer. Planet Cancer, now a LIVESTRONG initiative, is a community of advocacy and support for young adults with cancer. Heidi is also the coauthor of Here and Now: Inspiring Stories of Cancer Survivors. Christopher Schultz is the founder of Start Here Project Development, which works with businesses and nonprofits to strengthen their communications. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Esquire, the New York Times, ESPN: The Magazine, and Men's Journal, and he is the coauthor of The Yo Momma Vocabulary Builder. Both authors live in Austin, Texas.