Why “Thinking of You?” Is So Powerful Hearing those three simple words can change someone’s perspective, make their day better, and assure them they are not alone in the...
Cancer in High School Series (Part 2): Supporting a Classmate During Treatment
“Over the years, I’ve answered, ‘What’s the hardest part about having cancer as a teenager?’ in the same way: feeling forgotten.” Treating cancer is a difficult process and should certainly...
Cancer in High School (Part 1): Overview of the Teen Cancer Experience
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is devastating at any age, but receiving a diagnosis in high school is particularly disruptive and comes with its own challenging obstacles. High school is a...
A Letter to Parents of a Young Adult Diagnosed with Cancer
Seven years ago today, Kirsten called with news that changed our lives forever. I still have the text exchange on my phone from July 26, 2015. She was away at...
The Story of Shauna and Rosalina Cancer best friend: a person that you met on your cancer journey that you share your experience with, and someone you can truly lean...
Supporting AYA Cancer Patients Impacted by the Overturn of Roe vs. Wade
Effects of Roe v. Wade Overturn on AYA Cancer Patients Here at b-present, we boldly and proudly support our adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer community. We are committed to...
Friendship and Loss: How Being Present, Not Perfect Can Help You Live with No Regrets
Cancer is full of difficult emotions, from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Here, we discuss the experience of loss and how to maximize the time you have together. The catalyst...
Everything You Need to Know About the LGBTQIA+ Cancer Community
This June, in honor of Pride Month, we are partnering with Escape, an organization created to provide a sense of Escape for LGBTQIA+ Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients, Survivors,...
Supporting Someone with Cancer While Putting your own Mental Health First
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’ve been loving seeing all of the honest conversations about mental health happening all around the internet this month! I’ve seen so many...
Sympathy vs. Empathy vs. Compassion: Cancer Support and Where Each Fits
Sympathy, empathy and compassion are likely all words you’ve heard used a lot within the cancer space. They might even be used interchangeably! But the truth is, they’re all different,...
When your friend gets diagnosed with cancer, it can be hard to know what to say. We all know that cancer affects everyone around the patient, not just the patient....
Have you ever been in a conversation and thought to yourself, “Wow, this person really hears me, understands me, and supports me?” We have. It’s those moments of genuine connection...
Celebrating any holiday with cancer can be an emotional experience for so many reasons, from unexpected hiccups in treatment to grief over your old life to survivorship challenges. But that...
The Blood Crisis: What Every Young Adult Should Know
When you Google how to support a friend through cancer, you will find lots of ideas, from running errands to keeping them company through chemo to delivering meals to them....
I’ll be honest – I was never much of a New Year’s resolution kind of person before cancer. I always felt like I was just setting myself up for failure...
Cancer and the Holidays: 5 Tips That Will Improve Everyone’s Experience
The holidays are typically seen as a time to celebrate, be with family and friends, exchange gifts, and honor religious or other cherished traditions. When a cancer diagnosis enters the...
Support Through Thyroid Cancer: There is No “Good Cancer”
Feelings upon Diagnosis It was April 4, 2019. It had been ten days since my total thyroidectomy, and I was getting ready to pick my son up from preschool. A...
It was October 18th, 2015, the day before Kirsten was to be life-flighted from Stanford hospital in Palo Alto to Rady Children’s hospital in San Diego, where she would spend...
