12 days of giving – jess
This year for Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving I have chosen to support Trekstock, who offer invaluable help and support to young adults suffering with cancer in the UK.
Trekstock’s aim is to help combat the social isolation that can so often come with a cancer diagnosis, and to improve quality of life not only during treatment but beyond it too. They are the only charity that offers tailored cancer support to the young adult category.
The charity is particularly close to my heart because of the important role they played in my best friend’s journey with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Being diagnosed with cancer at such a young age came as a big shock and it was an incredibly hard time for my friend and her family. Trekstock were there to support her and welcomed her into their friendly community, connecting her with a group young people who were going through similar situations and could understand firsthand all of the things that living with cancer brings. As Trekstock say, getting diagnosed with cancer is like becoming part of a club you never wanted to join – but they’re here to help you figure it out.
The support and encouragement of her new network helped to grow her confidence and she is now a Young Adult Ambassador for the charity, helping to inspire and uplift other young adults with cancer on a daily basis. After an initial relapse, I am happy to report that she is now over 1 year cancer free (officially!) and thriving. She continues to play an active role for the charity and the cancer community, lending support, raising awareness, and generally bringing positivity in times when people need it most.
Community is everything to Trekstock, and they are there for each and every young person, no matter the type of cancer they’ve been diagnosed with, or what stage their diagnosis is. 34 young adults are diagnosed with cancer every day in the UK, and Trekstock exists to make sure that none of them face it alone.
For more information and to help support their life changing work visit www.trekstock.com