Yep i have found the same thing wherever i have gone i have just turned 30 and when i was diagnosed i was only 28 and to try and find some support was so so hard but the facebook page Young Pink Sisters is just amazing. heaps of support and i have connected with a few ladies all my ages and we were all diagnosed within weeks of each other.
Hope you are doing well :)
Hey ChrystleB,
I'm glad you posted. It's funny, I'm 43 and have also felt alone since joining the forum and totally understand your wish to connect with similar age people: I can't comprehend what it would have felt like being diagnosed in my 20's and hope you are able to find some similar aged folk from others suggestions.
I thought I'd add a few comments not to take away from your need for folk in the same age group, but to add to where we may have commonalities. As I mentioned, I also felt alone and it can be hard when we don't fit into a common demographic (for whatever reason). As I look (not sure how given the ravages of treatment in my early 30's), have mostly shared houses with people in their 20's, still want children, and dealing with all the crappy menopausal symptoms (and share with others who are pre-menopausal on endocrine treatment), I find that I often feel I share little in common with many of the women who have had children and are truly settled down and in established relationships.
For me, trying to find other women on zoladex has been one of the hardest things and so keen to hear from others on it.
I have also worked through treatment, not having family or partners to support me and that has it's own challenges when trying to keep a job and pay the rent.
Best wishes to you xo
Hi CrystleB,
I'm sorry to hear you're feeling isolated in this group. This is far from the intention of the online network and in particular this group for young woman.
In relation to the term 'young' it does generally refer to pre-menopausal women, as the treatment options for breast cancer can be very different according to menopausal status. So this group is for 'young women' to connect and share their experiences and challenges - as you have done in this blog post.
If you did want more specific information on young women, you might like to have a look at the young women page on our website. You will find information on keys issues, such as fertility, early menopause and stories from other young women.
Now that you have made a blog post into the group - I hope that some of the members closer to your age will jump in to connect with you. You might also like to consider starting up a group in the online network for women between certain age ranges. If this sounds like something you might want to start up, you can create a group here: http://www.bcna.org.au/node/add/group
If you need any help finding your way around, please let me know as I am more that happy to help get you connected.
Jess
Hey Chrystle,
I hear you loud and clear. We fall into a very small category of women in their twenties who have been diagnosed - and we encounter very different issues to those of women who are older. I've found this site is great for general information on reconstruction/treatment etc but fairly irrelevent to the specific issues I face as a young single person who hasn't had children yet.
I would strongly recommend joining the private Facebook group 'Surrounded by Pink Sisters (Helping Young Ladies Through Cancer)' - as it is one of the few groups that caters to our age group and tackles relevent issues.
Feel free to send me a private message if there's anything I can help you with. I was diagnosed at 26, and am now 27 and coming to the end of treatment. Hope you're doing as well as possible.
Kerryn xx
