AYAO Article Archive
12.05.2023Feeling on cloud nine, I could see my future blooming into everything I wanted and more, until one day, I felt a lump in my breast. I had just turned 26 and although I didn't have family history, I decided to get it checked out. After a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, I received a call from a nurse telling me I tested positive for invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer.
10.10.2023I am now 11 years cancer free. I will be forever grateful to my surgical oncologist, Dr. Jeffrey Wayne, for not only treating my cancer, but also for making me feel as comfortable as possible by including me in conversations and talking to me as a teenager and not as an adult.
01.07.2022By Candice
09.23.2021By Gwen
05.28.2021By Meg
04.21.2021For childhood cancer survivors, learning to protect their health and embrace survivorship is a lifelong job. 20 years ago, the STAR Program (Survivors Taking Action & Responsibility), a clinical, research and education program for adult survivors of childhood cancer at the Lurie Cancer Center, was one of the first in the nation to take this innovative approach to long-term care, and serves as a model for other institutions seeking to meet the needs of the growing population of childhood cancer survivors.
11.09.2020Hi! My name is Mohammed Kadiri. I am 19 years old, and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am also serving as a member of Lurie Children’s Hospital AYA Advisory Council!
10.12.2020By Anthony Morales
10.05.2020By Lauren Lopriore
07.29.2020My cancer journey began when I was diagnosed with a stage 3/4 (Synovial/soft tissue) sarcoma in 2013 at age 23.
06.15.2020June 7, 2020 marked an important milestone for 15-year-old Charlie and his family. For months they’d been planning to celebrate Charlie’s 15th “cancerversary” as a retinoblastoma survivor at their 15th Cancer Survivors’ Celebration Walk & 5K.
05.26.2020Cancer Survivor Lanie Quinn Brewster on Melanoma.
05.06.2020Hi, I’m Lauren and I have a Grade III Astrocytoma, a type of brain cancer.
04.09.2020Being young is a challenge—hormones, school, life—but nothing was more challenging than when I was told I had cancer, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
04.07.2020My name is Ashli and I was diagnosed with Stage II Breast Cancer on June 13th, 2019 at 29 years old, and for the real kicker, while I was heading into my 26th week of pregnancy. I did not have a family history of breast cancer (or cancer in general), so when I discovered a lump in my breast, I chalked it up to pregnancy;
04.06.2020During her treatment at the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Melanie began blogging to help her cope and let others know that even in the most difficult times, there is always hope and something to be grateful for. You can read more about Melanie’s journey on her blog at hopefulwarrior.com.
08.16.2019“For many, the days leading up to and following the scans are paralyzing and reinforce the sense of foreboding that even if you’re one of the lucky ones who received the ‘all-clear’ signal, you’re never really free from cancer.” Young adult cancer survivor Adriane Fink describes her “new normal.”
04.04.2019Nicholas Aiello was 28 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
04.04.2019The author was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 22-years-old.
01.01.2019A poem by patient, Sheena Gibbs
12.07.2018Board39, a patient advocacy group within the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program of the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, had a great time cheering on the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field!
11.21.2018“I am grateful for my care teams, from my diagnosis with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and into survivorship.”