Rarely is the image of a cancer patient that of a seemingly healthy young adult in his or her 20s or 30s.
“I think of it as the forgotten population when it comes to cancer,” said Eden Stotsky, health educator at the Johns Hopkins Colon Cancer Center and a board member of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.
Yet more than 65,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year, said Brock Yetso, executive director of the Ulman Cancer Fund.
Five percent of cancer patients at Howard County General Hospital were ages 30 to 39 from 2002 to 2006, hospital spokeswoman Sharon Sopp said.
The Columbia-based Ulman Cancer Fund, which provides support and resources to young cancer survivors, will celebrate its 10th year in October.
Doug Ulman, brother of Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, helped found the organization after he was diagnosed with cancer at 19.
Cancer patients ages 15 and 39 face unique challenges, Yetso said.
For example, young cancer patients are often planning to start families and looking for options on preserving their fertility, which is threatened by chemotherapy, he said.
They alsomay have less insurance coverage or financial resources than older patients, he said.
Resources such as literature and support groups exist to address this population, Stotsky said, but getting them into the right hands is often a challenge.
“We try to connect them with the resources in their community, which will in the end improve the survival rate and life during and after treatment,” Yetso said.
AT A GLANCE
» Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will come to Howard County in October to help the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults celebrate its 10-year anniversary.
» Armstrong and the organization?s founder, Doug Ulman, were both young cancer survivors and became friends. Ulman now serves as president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
» Armstrong will help honor 10 individuals in the cancer community at an event Oct. 26 and host a series of biking, running and walking races the next day.
» He also has committed $100,000 to be spread over four years to the organization.
Do you know any cancer survivors? Respond in our comments below.
