From a Teen Participant
| “People I’ve met at The Wellness Community will always be in my life because we’ve helped each other get through some very rough times.” |
TANYA RADAHA has only seen her best friend cry twice. The first time was in 2004 when Tanya was diagnosed with cancer after her 16th birthday. Tanya noticed she was too tired to do much of anything. Soon, even the short walk from home to school became difficult. Shortly after, Tanya was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, T-Cell and an ambulance whisked her off to Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH).
“I wasn’t allowed to finish my sophomore year,” says Tanya wistfully. “I started hearing less and less from my friends. I stayed home a lot and I felt pretty lonely.”
Tanya’s junior year started. She wasn’t able to attend school and began to struggle with depression. A social worker at PCH told her about Heather, another teen cancer patient who shared similar issues as Tanya and had just begun attending a support group at The Wellness Community (TWC). Tanya and Heather hit it off instantly. “Heather and I fit right in at TWC. We didn’t talk about cancer if we didn’t want to. But when we did, we understood each other because we’d gone through similar experiences with our hair, weight, friends, dating… everything that changed with our diagnosis,” says Tanya.
Tanya and Heather helped launch the free Teen Cancer Support Program at TWC. Annually, over 40 teens participate in monthly programs and activities.
Tanya has been treatment free for two years in August but still attends social events at TWC for support and friendship. About a year ago her best friend’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tanya was the first person she told. “She asked me to be with her when she told her family,” says Tanya. “Within seconds everyone was in tears. It was only the second time I had seen my best friend cry.”