by Michelle Esser, YSC Senior Program Manager, Research and Advocacy | Feb 5, 2016
February is Heart Disease Awareness Month and today is “Go Red Day” where everyone wears red to raise awareness of heart disease and donate to “Go Red for Women,” which supports educational programming on heart disease. Why should we, as breast cancer patients...
by Jennifer Johnson, YSC Alum | Feb 1, 2016
Each December, several YSC staff members travel to San Antonio, Texas, for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). We interviewed Michelle Esser, YSC’s Senior Program Manager for Research and Advocacy, about why YSC makes it a priority to attend this...
by Ali Schaffer, LCSW at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center | Jan 29, 2016
Yep, she’s in there and it’s time for a re-introduction… A breast cancer diagnosis often creates a mix of emotions for the person diagnosed with cancer and co-survivors. Those emotions can feel hard to talk about and at times, it can be difficult to even figure how...
by Naomi Gewirtz, Director of Employee Relations | Jan 26, 2016
I find myself at a loss for words. YSC and the world has lost another courageous, kind and beautiful young woman. Diana Di Mare was one-of-a-kind. In recent days there have been hundreds of posts about her passing and so many recurring themes by all who mourn her...
by Jennifer Merschdorf, YSC CEO | Jan 18, 2016
This is big news….. YSC has just selected 10 exceptional women who will become the next generation of breast cancer advocates in the United States. Everyone knows that YSC has been the voice for young women affected by breast cancer since its...
by Jennifer Merschdorf, YSC CEO | Jan 15, 2016
It is not every day that the President of the United States says he wants to end cancer once and for all. And it is certainly not every day that the President talks about ending cancer at a State of the Union address. But it actually happened this week, and the...
by Dacia Breeden, Registered Dietitian, University of Mississippi Cancer Institute | Jan 11, 2016
Here is some great advice on starting the new year right- thanks to Dacia Breeden, RD who is a featured speaker at YSC’s upcoming Regional Symposium in Jackson, MS. Join us in Jackson on January 23 for her awesome session on nutrition after a breast cancer diagnosis,...
by Jennifer Merschdorf, YSC CEO | Jan 8, 2016
I am pleased to announce that as of January 1, 2016, YSC has two new exceptional Board Members: Pablo Colon and Shauna Martin. These incredible individuals come to the YSC Board of Directors with their own stories about breast cancer, and both are committed to helping...
by Jamie Pleva-Nickerson, Survivor, YSC State Leader and TdP Rider | Jan 4, 2016
When I was 20 years old, my sister Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 32. Before that day, I thought only older women got breast cancer. It was incomprehensible to me that my vibrant sister, mom to a one-year-old son, could have it. Our family rallied...
by Jami Watson, YSC State Leader and F2F Coordinator | Dec 14, 2015
I am super excited for the YSC Symposium to come to my home state of Mississippi in January 2016!! This will be the first event of its kind in the area and it’s much needed, offering educational support to so many young women that can use it in this region. As a...
by Michelle Esser, YSC Senior Program Manager, Research and Advocacy | Dec 10, 2015
In addition to supporting and educating young women affected by breast cancer, YSC is also focused on being the leading voice for young survivors. One of the ways YSC does that is by working with the research community. Two years ago, YSC created a Research Think Tank...
by Lynnette Rivera, Survivor and YSC State Leader; and John Rivera, her co-survivor | Nov 25, 2015
In April 2014, Lynette was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. When YSC invited survivors and co-survivors to the 2015 Summit 11 months later, she and her husband John were eager to attend and ready to learn as much as they could. They took advantage of the...
by Jenn McRobbie | Nov 18, 2015
I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. Everyone around you is in shock … YOU are in shock. You’ve just heard those fateful words, “It is cancer.” There’s a part of you that wants to hide under the covers, only coming out when it’s proven that this is all just a horrific...
by Leisha Atwood, F2F Coordinator, Tour de Pink Rider | Nov 11, 2015
Early this year, my life literally changed. I know its cliché, but it’s true. I attended the YSC Summit in Houston, Texas, for three mind-blowing days. I was three years out from my breast cancer diagnosis and really had no connections with other young survivors. That...
