Why I Thank My College-Self for My Breast Cancer Survival
When I was an undergraduate student at Indiana University, I was lucky enough to follow in my mom’s footsteps and become a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority during my 2nd semester in 2012. My mom had just beat her battle with ovarian cancer right before I left for college, so I was honored to follow her legacy. During the recruitment process, I remember learning about AEPhi’s philanthropies and immediately felt a connection to Sharsheret. As a daughter of a BRCA1 positive ovarian cancer survivor, I was instantly drawn to the work Sharsheret does for women, men, and families affected by breast and ovarian cancer. I thought, “wow, what an amazing organization I can get behind!”, but as the years went on, it just became an organization we supported and not anything that really stayed at the forefront of my mind.
Fast forward to my first job out of college where I was fortunate enough to then work for AEPhi as a Traveling Educational Consultant. It became part of my job to share my love and passion for both AEPhi and its philanthropies to undergraduate women all over the country! Again, I fell more in love with Sharsheret’s mission and resources, and realized how fortunate we are that it existed, but over time, it kind of began to slip out of my mind. As I moved on with my career, met my now husband, and started my life as a young adult navigating post-college adulting, Sharsheret became just a nice thought every now and then of something I had once really related to.
Sharsheret came back into my life when I never thought I would need it. I found out I was BRCA1 positive, like my mom, in 2017. I had been putting off some of my screening out of fear, but finally went in for my first breast MRI in January 2022. In February of 2022, just 3 years into my marriage, I heard the dreaded words no 29-year-old wants to hear: “breast cancer”. I felt so lost, confused, and scared. I was paralyzed by fear and didn’t know how to put one foot in front of the other. But, my husband reminded me of Sharsheret and he reached out to their clinical team, and we immediately got connected to a social worker who took care of both of us throughout our journey.
Not only did Sharsheret send me a care package before my double mastectomy, reach out to me to check in during my chemotherapy sessions, and help us find financial support for my cold cap, they also individually checked on my husband to see how he was doing. The care and empathy that Sharsheret had for both me and my husband was something I will forever be grateful for. Had I not learned about Sharsheret through AEPhi, it would have made both my experience and my husbands a more lonely, scary, and paralyzing experience.
I am so grateful that my time in AEPhi brought me to Sharsheret when I didn’t even know I would need it. Sharsheret is an incredible organization and I am fortunate to still be involved so many years after AEPhi as both a volunteer and recipient of Sharsheret’s services, and more importantly, as a survivor. Now and forever more, Sharsheret will always be at the forefront of my mind. I thank my college-self every day!
Today, Sharsheret offers YAD: The Young ADult Caring Corner, dedicated by Joy and Michael Goldsmith and family, which helps young adults on college campuses understand their loved ones’ cancer diagnoses, and provides peer support through a buddy system that pairs mentors whose loved ones have also had a breast cancer or ovarian cancer diagnosis with other young adults in similar situations.
To learn more about Sharsheret’s YAD program, contact [email protected] or visit sharsheret.org/yad to get connected.