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Instagram takeover with @perk_laura

The YACC community is filled with talented, enthusiastic, interesting people who share great photos and messages on Instagram, so we decided to let someone “take over” our account once a month to shed some light on how they are affected by young adult cancer. Since these stories are important and awesome, we are also posting a wrap-up here on our website once the takeover is complete.

Our sixth guest ‘grammer is Laura Perkins (@perk_laura). Laura’s takeover showed how her life has changed since being diagnosed with cancer at 29, just as she was settling into life with her new family.

Laura 1Hey Everyone! I’m super pumped to be taking over YACC’s account for the day. My name is Laura Perkins (@perk_laura) and I’ve been a YACCer since November 2014. I’m from Kitchener and have lived here most of my life. I was 29-years-old when I was diagnosed with an Intrapelvic Chondrosarcoma in July 2013—just eight months after my beautiful baby girl, Alyssa (aka Munchie), was born.

 

Laura 2

Meet the PERKINS family! Met in 2011, baby in 2012, cancer diagnosis in 2013, married in 2013, surgery end of 2013, three months spent in the hospital, six months living separately (well I lived at my mom’s with Alyssa while I recovered), #HomeSweetHome in September 2014. That is my family in a nutshell. It’s been a roller coaster to say the least, and it hasn’t been easy, but here we are three years later. #familystrugglesarereal

 

Laura 3

Here I am dressed in my #supersexygown and drinking my delicious barium drink, anxiously waiting for my yearly CT scan. I always am extremely anxious for these appointments, and at every appointment I wonder if it’s going to get easier and easier. My follow up regime is every six months I see my oncologist/surgeon for a follow up with an x-ray of the chest, abdomen, and hip, and yearly CT scans. So far everything is clear. #yuck #yougetusedtoitafterawhile #stylishgowns

 

Laura 4

I had an internal hemi-pelvectomy with removal of the tumor, a third of my pelvis, and my hip completely reconstructed. I spent months in hospital, and three years later, continue with physio weekly. I have progressed to walking with a cane, which will be my friend for the rest of my life. #prettypinkcane #stylish. The photo on the right is the first time I stood up on my own #thelittlethingsmatter #bigachievements. Five days after surgery, I decided enough was enough and I needed a little bit of #makeup to make myself feel beautiful. #hubbyheldmymirror #gottofeelgoodwellstuckinbed

 

Laura 5

You can see on the right side my hip reconstruction and that it is now attached higher up on my pelvis as the bottom half is missing. #prettyamazingwhatmysurgeondid #savedmylife #luckyicanstillwalk #bionichip

 
Laura 6

The spiritual lady from Freeport Hospital who came to visit me weekly gave me this. She told me my story was so #inspiring and that I was such a strong woman and mother. She reminded me to carry this with me everywhere I went and to remember to just BELIEVE. To this day I carry it in my wallet.

 

Laura 7

The top photo is our YACC group from Retreat Yourself Ontario 2014. This was the most amazing experience and I will cherish the friendships and memories for a lifetime. It is definitely a life changing experience that I feel every young adult with cancer MUST experience. Since the retreat, we attended Survivor Conference 2015 in Toronto, we hosted the first-ever Climb in Kitchener, and attended Survivor Conference 2016 on The Rock. Thank you, YACC, for everything you have done for young adults with cancer. #yaccsgotyourback #fucancer #friendsforever. The bottom photo is a pic at #Icecancer2016 with our besties that we met at #RYON14. I love these people more than words can describe. Thank you for being such great friends. #friends4ever #memoriesweremadeontherock #ilovenewfies #yesbye #ohmenerves #ikissedacod

 
Laura 8

In the last year I have become addicted to colouring. I had to find an outlet to relieve my stress and unwind from the day. Colouring does just that. Now excuse me while I get back to it. #swearwordcolouringisthebest #relaxing #stressfree #verypickyaboutwhatmarkersiuse

 

Big thanks to Laura for sharing a piece of her life!

Are you interested in hosting your own takeover? Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

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