Life Interrupted: The Reality of a Cancer Diagnosis in Your 20s

Cancer can come for anyone, no matter what age they are. It’s heartbreaking, but even children and young adults get cancer. Cancer doesn’t discriminate; unfortunately, it can happen to anyone.

"But you're too young for cancer"

When I was 25 years old, my ex felt a lump in my left breast. When seeking out answers to what was going on, I heard a lot of “You’re too young for cancer!”.

Well, turns out, I wasn’t. I was in my early 20s, with no family history. My genetic testing came back, and there was nothing there either. This was a random occurrence, making me one of the youngest people in the cancer clinic.

So, what’s it like having cancer steal your youth from you?

Watching life from the sidelines

A career on hold

I had to put my career on hold. I had just finished advanced training for the salon I had chosen to be my workplace. I was filling up my schedule with clients and making decent money doing so. Putting something like this on the back burner is no easy task. This meant that when I was ready to come back to work, I had to start a lot of this over.

While I was losing my hair, my friends and coworkers were getting raises in the salon. I was living at my mom’s house and getting sick every single day. My friends were getting apartments, adopting pets, and getting engaged. I was canceling every single travel plan I had, while my friends were catching flights and seeing the world.

Unexpected moments

Not only did cancer come for my 20s, it also gave me a surprise baby. This made things even more complicated. I love being my kid’s mom, but at the time, it wasn’t in my life plan. The birth halted my treatment, pushing back radiation and chemo plans almost a month. Precious time was spent healing from a traumatic birth. I was also arguing with insurance about medications and going to a lot of follow-up appointments.

When cancer comes back

I slowly pieced my life back together for a few years, only to have it snatched again by cancer. At 31, I had just closed on my first house. A few months prior, I bought a car with a payment for the first time. A medical bankruptcy had just cleared from my record, and I was planning to expand my family with my partner. All of that came to a screeching halt when my oncologist told me I was stage 4.

A person’s 30s are supposed to be their prime. I was supposed to stay in the house I bought, and I should have a bigger family by now. Instead, I am planning my end of life. I am clinging to the time that I have to be able to spend it with my wife and kid. I am trying to live a normal life while also balancing life with cancer.

The daily balancing act

This kind of life is not easy. There are countless appointments, treatment changes, and so much more. Every day, I try to live as normal a life as I can. The balance is really really tough. There is so much that cancer steals from a person, and being a young person living with cancer is especially hard. There was supposed to be so much to look forward to.