I'm Too Young For This! : Empowering Young Adults Affected By Cancer

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OUR HISTORY

i[2]y like many advocacy organizations, was borne out of an inequity. In 1995, at the age of 21, concert pianist and composer Matthew Zachary was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer in college and told he'd likely never perform again. He and his family were thrust into a cancer landscape much different than today.

The Internet was in its infancy, cancer resources for adolescents and young adults (AYA) were few and far between and 'surviving' meant living beyond five years. Although Matthew and his family were offered comfort through a small, fragmented community, they were not able to benefit from many of today's surviorship resources. Like millions of other families, they had to go it on their own and hope for the best.

Since 1996, there has been an upsurge of AYA advocacy organizations whose programs, tools and services are specifically directed at the unique needs of those aged 15-39. Many of these groups were founded by young survivors like Matthew. Unfortunately, 11 years later, despite living in an age of unbridled interconnectivity and global communications, most AYAs affected by cancer (and their providers) are simply not aware of—and therefore do not even have the option to access—the myriad of resources at their disposal.

This is a shame.

So, in 2004, Matthew founded Steps For Living (which has since morphed into i[2]y), a communications-focused social enterprise that linked his worlds of music, cancer advocacy, consumer health marketing and technology to ensure that AYAs affected by cancer would have the opportunity to connect with and benefit from resources that he and his family only wished they had in 1995.

Today, i[2]y is a hip brand that is being recognized as the next big thing in healthcare communications innovation by converging social media with youth culture, cancer advocacy and music. i[2]y has quickly earned the respect of the oncology community and garnered international accredidation throughout the cancer continuum.

Over the past year, the foundation has forged alliances with national public health institutions and young adult advocacy organizations, launched the Web's premiere AYA community resource website, organized the first national coalition of young adult musician-survivors and socially mobilized thousands of young adults affected by cancer to a progressive new social movement that is demanding change from an establishment that they have been ignored by for too long.

WHO WE ARE

• about us
• our history
• leadership
• board of directors
• friends of i[2]y
• young adult leadership
• college community

ADVISORY COUNCILS

• survivorship
• strategic
• medical

MANIFESTO

• we are still here

Feeling isolated? The channels below will connect you with hundreds of age-appropriate resources and open the door to socially network with countless thousands of young adult survivors and caregivers.

• young adult organizations
• scholarships and financial aid
• online forums and chat rooms
• excursions and retreats
• web2.0 social networks
• young adult blogosphere
• coping literature
• books, mags, films and media
• advocacy tools
• cancer creative