June 2022 - Cutaneous Lymphoma can be hard to deal with and even harder if you are a child or a teenager. Ricky Kitchen, a High School Intervention Specialist with a medical social work background, discusses various ways to support younger patients during their school years and identifies valuable resources that can assist the student and their family.

Speaker: Ricky Kitchen, MSW, MA

Alert! The U.S. Department of Education has made available a new cancer treatment deferment form. Borrowers who are undergoing cancer treatment may request a deferment of their federal student loan payments. A deferment or forbearance allows you to temporarily stop making your federal student loan payments or to temporarily reduce the amount you pay. Find out if you qualify for a deferment or forbearance.

The SAMFund is a unique nonprofit organization created to assist young adult survivors of cancer with a successful transition into their post-treatment life by providing financial support through the distribution of grants and scholarships. For more information, visit their website or call 617.938.3484.

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults is committed to helping young adults continue their education after being affected by cancer through their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one. For more information, visit their website or call 888.393.FUND (3863).

For young people with chronic skin conditions, Camp Discovery offers a summer camping experience unlike any they’ve had before. Every year, the American Academy of Dermatology sponsors a week of fishing, boating, swimming, water skiing, arts and crafts, and just plain fun.

One week can change a lifetime. This is the core belief at Camp Mak-A-Dream. The organization’s mission is to provide a medically supervised, cost-free Montana experience, in an intimate community setting, for children, young adults and families affected by cancer. Retreats are offered for adult cancer survivors, young adults, kids and other groups. For more information, visit their website or call 406.549.5987.

For survivors of childhood cancers, the National Children’s Cancer Society (NCCS) has created a program called Beyond The Cure. The mission of Beyond The Cure is to help childhood cancer survivors integrate the cancer experience into their new life as survivors and successfully handle the challenges that are ahead of them and to celebrate survivorship. For more information, visit their website or call 800.5.FAMILY (32-6459).

Stupid Cancer (aka: I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation) is a nonprofit organization that empowers young adults affected by cancer through innovative and award-winning programs and services. This Foundation is the largest support community in the United States for this underserved population and serves as a bullhorn for the young adult cancer movement.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the LiveStrong Foundation have a video series for young adults with cancer featured on ASCO’s patient information website Cancer.Net. The series, “Moving Forward: Perspectives from Survivors and Doctors,” addresses critical issues that young adults with cancer may face and helps them better understand and cope with challenges related to their diagnosis. These videos are available free of charge as a resource for young adults to better understand and cope with their diagnosis.