Support for survivor teen daughter

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jcarsr70
jcarsr70 Member Posts: 1 *
edited February 15 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

Hello I was wondering if there are any support groups meeting in Connecticut that can help my 17 year old daughter cope. She says that nobody understands how she feels and we can’t possibly relate. I really hope to get her the help she needs here, so her life can have more meaning, and she can cope with having to relive the horrors of treatment that she went through.

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  • CSNSupportTeam
    CSNSupportTeam admin Posts: 202
    #2
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    Hi jcarsr70,

    Thank you for reaching out to your American Cancer Society's Cancer Survivors Network for your daughter.

    Please reach out to us at ACS's National Cancer Information Center. You can call our toll-free number, 1.800.227.2345, where Cancer Information Specialists are available around the clock every day of the week to speak with you. You can also utilize the Live Chat feature Monday through Friday between 7am-6:30pm CST on www.cancer.org. Our staff can look for resources that may help you find local support groups and resources for her.

    Best regards,

    Ken

    CSN Support Team

  • bambalam34
    bambalam34 Member Posts: 1 *
    #3
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    Did you find any support groups for your daughter? I live in central CT and had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at 18-19, but I'm now a (young) 40. I started out in pediatrics, but ended up in adult care at Yale, before Smilow existed. Pediatrics wanted to do chemotherapy for 1.5 years… and that didn't sound right. Luckily, we were connected with Dr. Dennis Cooper who prescribed R-CHOP and radiation. He was treating or had treated Dr. Mel, the weather guy back then. I took a medical leave from college in the middle of my spring semester, but was healthy and back in the fall. I haven't been diagnosed with any further cancers yet, but now 2 decades later and with covid potentially accelerating illnesses, I am anticipating one or more near future diagnosis. I think that fear has always been with me as I have learned to cope with being a cancer survivor. As a college student, I had a few instances back on campus that really hurt my fragile self-image and self-esteem because of the off-handed remarks about my hair length/loss. The callous remarks made by strangers were unexpected and hurtful to a young woman. I had chosen to go without wigs and just used colorful bandanas. Just before graduation, I got my first haircut post-cancer, losing the curly ends to my waist-length hair. It grows back beautiful! As a teenager in today's more volatile world, your sweet daughter may have had a more difficult time. I hope you found a support group!

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