There are many different organizations trying to help Young Adults affected by cancer. Each organization has different goals, but they are all fighting for the same purpose, which is, to aid young adults affected by cancer, and improve their quality of life in any way possible. Each is its own separate organization, but as a whole they make up a community, and they compliment each other by offering different services and resources to the Young Adults Survivor population.
There is little room in this community, to start a new entity that provides a service or resource that is has not already been established. When I dived into the organizations I found that to achieve the overarching purpose, each organization tried to help with the number one problem that Young Adults affected by cancer face, isolation. When a young adult hears the three words, “you have cancer,” it is a devastating blow. These individuals are in the prime of their life and are just beginning to build their adult lives. They are beginning to blossom into who they will become. It is a time in a person’s life where they are starting to live life on their own. Then three simple words rip their universe apart, and they find themselves having to be dependent on others in a bigger way.
All the established organizations who are trying to help these young adults, have a very inward focus. They are helping out young adults who have already been affected by cancer. It is a strong community, but it needs an external voice. Ted and Friends started with the purpose of supporting young adults affected by cancer, and was gong to start a social network so these individuals could connect with others they could relate to. But another organization started one, and this is not a place where you try and one up the competition. This is a community that is built on helping one another achieve the ultimate goal of aiding the young adult affected by cancer, and improve their way of life in any way possible.
Instead of trying to be another support group, Ted and Friends will focus on the external message of generating awareness. I still need to work out how we are going to do this, but we want to use the skills that we have acquired at our advertising graduate program to get the word out.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Competitive Analysis???????
What do you do when you are writing a competitive review about the competition that is trying to help the same demographic that you are? I don't mean trying to help out by selling a similar product, or help out by filling a similar void in a person's life. I mean helping out a group of people that all need support. These group of individuals are age 18-39 and they are all suffering from some form of cancer. So when you do a competitive review, do you call it a competitive review, or do you call it a survey of the other friends in the area?
I prefer to think of the other websites dedicating their time to these survivors as friends, and not competition. Before I get the Ted and Friends website up and running I would like to get in touch with all the other sites that are helping the 18-39 year old cancer survivors, and get them to have a place on their website that says circle of friends, instead of links. When the circle of friends tab is pressed the user is directed to a page that lists the other helpful friends in the cancer circle, and a brief description about the benefits of each of the particular site.
We are all here to help, and we need to make it easier to utilize the other site's strengths. Let the circle of friends share their resources so that the 18-39 year old survivors have an easier way to get the support and help that they may need.
I prefer to think of the other websites dedicating their time to these survivors as friends, and not competition. Before I get the Ted and Friends website up and running I would like to get in touch with all the other sites that are helping the 18-39 year old cancer survivors, and get them to have a place on their website that says circle of friends, instead of links. When the circle of friends tab is pressed the user is directed to a page that lists the other helpful friends in the cancer circle, and a brief description about the benefits of each of the particular site.
We are all here to help, and we need to make it easier to utilize the other site's strengths. Let the circle of friends share their resources so that the 18-39 year old survivors have an easier way to get the support and help that they may need.
Monday, February 25, 2008
NY Deli Unveiling of Connection
Overarching theme:
Connection
Ted and Friends connects people with information, tools, support, and fun.
Connect Survivors By:
- Survivors can learn about their type of cancer
- Survivors can learn about insurance
- Survivors can learn about financial aid
- Survivors can get support from others through social network
- Survivors can have fun
- Survivors' friends and family can get support from other friends and family
Isolation:
These young adults need support, and they need to get rid of this feeling of isolation.
Young adult cancer survivors have to go through a multitude of emotions that no other group of people has to deal with. They have to overcome this feeling of isolation. These individuals have a lot to look forward in their lives, but some of the issues they have to deal with are long-term problems and they do not have anyone to relate to.
Dealing with → fertility issues, education, sexuality, peer support, financial aid, insurance, and employment.
Stop and think about it for a minute. Have you ever considered going to a sperm bank? Have you ever thought about dropping out of school? Have you ever looked to your friends and gotten a look of complete bewilderment or pity when you talk about something? Have you ever gotten a call that said you wouldn’t be covered by insurance because of a preexisting condition? Have you ever thought that someone might not give you a job because they are worried that you might not be able to perform at the same level as other employees?
Relate:
These survivors need someone that understands what they are going through. This could be another survivor; it could be another parent to parent, or friend to friend, but there needs to be a way to relate to the other individual. You can only really understand what someone is going through if you have experienced or are experiencing that circumstance. We need to connect people that can relate to one another.
So this is where I am at right now. I have given my friends this and we are meeting again later this week. I am still working on secondary research, and will begin my primary research later this week.
Connection
Ted and Friends connects people with information, tools, support, and fun.
Connect Survivors By:
- Survivors can learn about their type of cancer
- Survivors can learn about insurance
- Survivors can learn about financial aid
- Survivors can get support from others through social network
- Survivors can have fun
- Survivors' friends and family can get support from other friends and family
Isolation:
These young adults need support, and they need to get rid of this feeling of isolation.
Young adult cancer survivors have to go through a multitude of emotions that no other group of people has to deal with. They have to overcome this feeling of isolation. These individuals have a lot to look forward in their lives, but some of the issues they have to deal with are long-term problems and they do not have anyone to relate to.
Dealing with → fertility issues, education, sexuality, peer support, financial aid, insurance, and employment.
Stop and think about it for a minute. Have you ever considered going to a sperm bank? Have you ever thought about dropping out of school? Have you ever looked to your friends and gotten a look of complete bewilderment or pity when you talk about something? Have you ever gotten a call that said you wouldn’t be covered by insurance because of a preexisting condition? Have you ever thought that someone might not give you a job because they are worried that you might not be able to perform at the same level as other employees?
Relate:
These survivors need someone that understands what they are going through. This could be another survivor; it could be another parent to parent, or friend to friend, but there needs to be a way to relate to the other individual. You can only really understand what someone is going through if you have experienced or are experiencing that circumstance. We need to connect people that can relate to one another.
So this is where I am at right now. I have given my friends this and we are meeting again later this week. I am still working on secondary research, and will begin my primary research later this week.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Story
“You have cancer.”
The day that you found out it was a devastating moment. Everything in your life changed. A piece of you was ripped away without you even knowing, but you are now stronger for this happening. Not many people your age have to deal with news this devastating. It is amazing how three little words can turn your whole life upside down. But you are not alone. There are over 65,000 college-aged people who are told the same 3 words each year. Each year more and more people like yourself are converted from cancer victim to cancer survivor.
What was taken from you when those three words were uttered was a chunk of your innocence. Your might have lost your smile for a short duration. But know that each person who deals with this news has a greater appreciation for life and his or her smile is a new brighter stronger one that stretches wide across his or her face. We’ve had to confront something huge, and we look at life differently as something not to be taken for granted. So our smiles are deeper. We’ve learned earlier than most young people that we aren’t invincible, that we have to fight to be strong.
When you were told, “You have cancer,” you are given a stack of material to read about your particular type of cancer. You are told that there are support groups that you can turn to, but if you look into these groups or attend them you find that it’s tough to locate people your own age. Older cancer patients may understand what you are going through in the treatment room, but they do not know the struggles you face everyday and they cannot relate because they are at a different place in their lives. Ted and Friends is here to give YOU a place for support. This support will range anywhere from a friend, advice, information, to financial resources. And we are your age so we will make this place relevant to YOU. We aren’t your normal cancer support group. We are your friend, and we are a place where we can be strong, share experiences, and smile together.
This is a site for us, but also it is for those who love us. Ted and Friends will be a place for Survivors, but as the LiveStrong foundation says, “a survivor is not just the cancer patient, it is anyone around the cancer patient that is being affected by this important individual.” Ted and Friends is for all people who need support during this ordeal and to help bring back their smile and their hope.
In my own search process I was lucky. I have a great support system from my family and friends. But there are things that only other Survivors can talk and laugh about. There are little things that no one else has had to experience like the way that your body feels before, during, and after a chemo treatment. No one can tell you what it is going to be like because it is different for everyone, but another Survivor knows – he or she has been there. Ted and Friends is here to help. We are here to grow and we are here to make your walk a little easier, a little lighter, by sharing the load.
The day that you found out it was a devastating moment. Everything in your life changed. A piece of you was ripped away without you even knowing, but you are now stronger for this happening. Not many people your age have to deal with news this devastating. It is amazing how three little words can turn your whole life upside down. But you are not alone. There are over 65,000 college-aged people who are told the same 3 words each year. Each year more and more people like yourself are converted from cancer victim to cancer survivor.
What was taken from you when those three words were uttered was a chunk of your innocence. Your might have lost your smile for a short duration. But know that each person who deals with this news has a greater appreciation for life and his or her smile is a new brighter stronger one that stretches wide across his or her face. We’ve had to confront something huge, and we look at life differently as something not to be taken for granted. So our smiles are deeper. We’ve learned earlier than most young people that we aren’t invincible, that we have to fight to be strong.
When you were told, “You have cancer,” you are given a stack of material to read about your particular type of cancer. You are told that there are support groups that you can turn to, but if you look into these groups or attend them you find that it’s tough to locate people your own age. Older cancer patients may understand what you are going through in the treatment room, but they do not know the struggles you face everyday and they cannot relate because they are at a different place in their lives. Ted and Friends is here to give YOU a place for support. This support will range anywhere from a friend, advice, information, to financial resources. And we are your age so we will make this place relevant to YOU. We aren’t your normal cancer support group. We are your friend, and we are a place where we can be strong, share experiences, and smile together.
This is a site for us, but also it is for those who love us. Ted and Friends will be a place for Survivors, but as the LiveStrong foundation says, “a survivor is not just the cancer patient, it is anyone around the cancer patient that is being affected by this important individual.” Ted and Friends is for all people who need support during this ordeal and to help bring back their smile and their hope.
In my own search process I was lucky. I have a great support system from my family and friends. But there are things that only other Survivors can talk and laugh about. There are little things that no one else has had to experience like the way that your body feels before, during, and after a chemo treatment. No one can tell you what it is going to be like because it is different for everyone, but another Survivor knows – he or she has been there. Ted and Friends is here to help. We are here to grow and we are here to make your walk a little easier, a little lighter, by sharing the load.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
My Story
I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the beginning of September in 2007. My first reaction was one of denial. I made it a joke. I couldn’t digest the thought of the disease in the first place and now it was mine. Acceptance was extremely slow on my part. How could I make peace with the fact that I had a disease that could kill me? It was scary to think that if I hadn’t found this mass in my chest that I would have died in a year or two. I could only bring myself to tell family of my condition in the beginning because I was still in denial about having cancer.
I have one of the most loving families in the world and their support has been tremendous, but finding out about this disease has been just as hard if not harder for them. My friends have been great as well. Some have shaved their heads in support, and I am constantly reminded how special I must be to them because of their constant emails and phone calls. It has been unbelievable to feel so loved. I finally told my fellow classmates and professors, and the surge of support has been uplifting. The school bought hand sanitizers and tissue paper to help minimize germs, and each faculty member has reached out in some way or other. My classmates seem to have bonded around my situation; some offered to be my germ bodyguard. Others have given me support by telling me of their personal cancer experiences with family or friends, bringing me information to read and watch.
But I’m the one with cancer, and no one really understands what is going on in my head. They can’t feel the emotions that I go through on a constant basis. They do not feel the chemo drugs as they go into their bodies. They do not have to go to the hospital 3 times every two weeks, sometimes more often if they need more tests. They don’t have to skip a beer or a smoke-filled bar because they’re wiped out from chemo.
I feel like I am dealing very well, but there are many times when I lose confidence in myself. My soul is strong and for that I am thankful. But I wish for someone who has gone through something similar to what I am going through to have a good support system behind him or her. There are support groups at the clinic but most of the cancer patients are over fifty. I have searched the Internet for places that offer support groups for people my age, but there are very few and most of them are not user-friendly. I have looked for financial support and there are many places that do give financial aid to cancer patients. Where can a young person go who are, like me, just starting out in life?
What I would like is a way to communicate with someone who has dealt with or is dealing with a situation similar to my own. I want to ask what it is or was like for them, how they dealt with their thoughts, their heart. I want to be able to share and help someone else in giving advice or support. I know that my strongest friends in life are ones that I share experiences with. Why can’t that be carried over to fellow college-aged cancer patients? Also, there will be a place for friends and families to go to better understand some of the emotional rollercoaster that a patient and their families go through.
I want easy access to some sort of financial aid so that the burden of my medications and medical bills does not have to all fall on the shoulders of my parents or myself. I am fortunate to have a family that can help with paying my bills, but they have to go beyond their means. I cannot even fathom what some people have to go through.
So what I hope to achieve is a place that young adult cancer patients can find support from others their age. Also, there needs to be a place where their families and friends can go to better understand some of the emotions that they are dealing with. I also want to develop resources where these individuals can find financial aid easily so that they can ease the burden of medical bills. Emotional support, friends in the same situation, and resources for people my age in single, simple place – that’s what I think is needed. Setting up a foundation with these goals in mind can begin with Ted and Friends.
I have one of the most loving families in the world and their support has been tremendous, but finding out about this disease has been just as hard if not harder for them. My friends have been great as well. Some have shaved their heads in support, and I am constantly reminded how special I must be to them because of their constant emails and phone calls. It has been unbelievable to feel so loved. I finally told my fellow classmates and professors, and the surge of support has been uplifting. The school bought hand sanitizers and tissue paper to help minimize germs, and each faculty member has reached out in some way or other. My classmates seem to have bonded around my situation; some offered to be my germ bodyguard. Others have given me support by telling me of their personal cancer experiences with family or friends, bringing me information to read and watch.
But I’m the one with cancer, and no one really understands what is going on in my head. They can’t feel the emotions that I go through on a constant basis. They do not feel the chemo drugs as they go into their bodies. They do not have to go to the hospital 3 times every two weeks, sometimes more often if they need more tests. They don’t have to skip a beer or a smoke-filled bar because they’re wiped out from chemo.
I feel like I am dealing very well, but there are many times when I lose confidence in myself. My soul is strong and for that I am thankful. But I wish for someone who has gone through something similar to what I am going through to have a good support system behind him or her. There are support groups at the clinic but most of the cancer patients are over fifty. I have searched the Internet for places that offer support groups for people my age, but there are very few and most of them are not user-friendly. I have looked for financial support and there are many places that do give financial aid to cancer patients. Where can a young person go who are, like me, just starting out in life?
What I would like is a way to communicate with someone who has dealt with or is dealing with a situation similar to my own. I want to ask what it is or was like for them, how they dealt with their thoughts, their heart. I want to be able to share and help someone else in giving advice or support. I know that my strongest friends in life are ones that I share experiences with. Why can’t that be carried over to fellow college-aged cancer patients? Also, there will be a place for friends and families to go to better understand some of the emotional rollercoaster that a patient and their families go through.
I want easy access to some sort of financial aid so that the burden of my medications and medical bills does not have to all fall on the shoulders of my parents or myself. I am fortunate to have a family that can help with paying my bills, but they have to go beyond their means. I cannot even fathom what some people have to go through.
So what I hope to achieve is a place that young adult cancer patients can find support from others their age. Also, there needs to be a place where their families and friends can go to better understand some of the emotions that they are dealing with. I also want to develop resources where these individuals can find financial aid easily so that they can ease the burden of medical bills. Emotional support, friends in the same situation, and resources for people my age in single, simple place – that’s what I think is needed. Setting up a foundation with these goals in mind can begin with Ted and Friends.
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