Starting YACC was largely driven by three factors; my desire to use my experience to help others, my need to process what I had just experienced by doing something with it and my reality that I likely wouldn’t get the next 60 years to make my impact. I had to make an impact now and hopefully I could build something that would outlive me.
Telling my story, to young adults, and the wider community was one of the single most important decisions I’ve made in my life. We all have a story and telling yours to others in an open and authentic way can produce powerful results.
Eventually, my story got out to the wider community, and now I have addressed individuals, corporations, schools, groups, and teams right across Canada.
It seems so simple, but sharing my experience was a giant catalyst for reaching more young adults. For example, a nurse in Red Deer, AB heard about us, and made a point to tell her patients to check us out. One, Jamie Carswell (pictured), was incredibly resistant to the idea; she didn’t need us, she was fine, she had the support she needed. Jamie eventually gave in—really as a way to get her nurse off her back—and now we can’t imagine YACC without her. (Click here to hear Jamie discuss life after cancer at this year’s Big Cancer Hook-up!)
You never know when the right time is for someone to receive a message, it’s one of the reasons we hope you will remember YACC whenever you connect with a young adult dealing with cancer, any cancer, at any stage. We truly do have their back.
Thanks for staying tuned. We’ll be back next week with the next installment!
Always…
Live life. Love life.
Geoff Eaton
Click here to read part 3 of this story!
