Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a scary time, but we’ve come to accept it more at a certain point in our lives.  But what about being a twenty or thirty something who receives the unnerving diagnosis of cancer?  Being so young with such a serious condition can be an isolating time.  With her book  Everything Changes: The Insider’s Guide to Cancer in Your 20s and 30s, Kairol Rosenthal has made strides in unmasking the young people that are living with cancer.

Kairol was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 27.  Two years after her diagnosis, she realized that things such as “death, parenting, pain management, and career goals” were among the topics her twenty and thirty-something peers were unwilling to discuss.  Not willing to let the emotions and fears of young cancer patients like herself go unsaid, she set out to write her book and interview those going through similar situations as her.  Discussing topics unique to twenty and thirty year olds, Kairol has explored a side of cancer that oftentimes is ignored. 

Aside from her book, Kairol writes a blog, providing another great resource for young cancer patients.  Her honest, straightforward writing is relatable to the age group in which she writes for, making her one of the leading voices for those who get cancer in their twenties or thirties.    

On her blog, Kairol also talks about the delicate issue of money with regards to a cancer diagnosis.  We were thrilled to find out that she recently wrote about GiveForward as a financial resource for young people battling cancer.  (Read the full entry here).  As a young person, the diagnosis can be doubly scary because of the cost of treatment.  Savings are minimal or nonexistent, and then there can be the issue of student loans or a variety of other factors that inhibit saving or obtaining money.  This is where GiveForward, with the help of Kairol initiating the conversation money, can help these young patients.  Together, we can hopefully end the taboo that surrounds the discussion of medical costs.

You can read more from Kairol on her blog, Everything Changes.