6. April Stearns: When You Are ”Too Young” For Breast Cancer.

2020-07-02

If you are a new listener to Untold Santa Cruz, I would love to hear from you, do you know someone with a story that simply ought to be told? Please email me and let me know who I should meet! In this episode of Untold Santa Cruz: Shelter In Peace April Stearns, creator of Wildfire magazine for young women with breast cancer (Free Issue!) and I talk about: The music for the podcast is generously provided by Ketsa the track is Multiverse Check It Out! 2:55 The birth of the name Wildfire 4:10 A family of firefighters and April's dad 4:30 The possibility of new growt...

If you are a new listener to Untold Santa Cruz, I would love to hear from you, do you know someone with a story that simply ought to be told? Please email me and let me know who I should meet!

In this episode of Untold Santa Cruz: Shelter In Peace April Stearns, creator of Wildfire magazine for young women with breast cancer (Free Issue!) and I talk about:

The music for the podcast is generously provided by Ketsa the track is Multiverse Check It Out!

2:55 The birth of the name Wildfire
4:10 A family of firefighters and April's dad
4:30 The possibility of new growth
5:35 The road has ups and downs
6:45 The story of positivity in the breast cancer community
8:05 Where is my normal? The magazine came from a need
9:15 “Too young for breast cancer”
9:45 It was hard to find young breast cancer patients to talk to
11:55 First came blogging, the opportunity to tell her story and stay connected
13:15 There are many different expressions of breast cancer
13:45 She wasn't trying to be “the voice of breast cancer”
14:30 She wanted to create a space where it was possible to find the others
15:40 Start now, start again look for the other guides on the path
17:25 The classic breast cancer trope can feel hard sometimes
18:45 If you're feeling sad, there's someone else out there feeling the same way, guaranteed
19:40 We like stories of triumph
20:25 The importance of providing a space between “you got this” and “today is hard”
22:15 Are you sure you want to stay in cancer?
24:45 How family and caregivers can stay supportive
25:05 Making isolation more sparkling, a huge response!

25:55 Wildfire magazine is for everyone who is surrounding and supporting that young woman in her life
28:45 The Pen Pal club and the Mister Rogers connection, “ who do I want to be in this crisis?”

31:25 A foundation for new friendships
32:45 “ Start before you are ready”
33:55 I don't know what I am doing but let's see what happens
35:00 Writing Workshops!
37:10 The human superpower is adaptability, pain is a great guide
38:30 Trying to bargain our way back to normal doesn't work.
40:23 Paying respect to the struggle
41:13 There is a richness to life in the struggle and finding the others
43:10 How to help? Please just be normal oh, it's a great way to serve.
43:65 Telling your story makes the world safer for everyone.

Follow the Guest

April Steans created WILDFIRE Magazine in 2015 the first magazine of its kind for young women facing life after a breast cancer diagnosis. The magazine was created by April Stearns following her own diagnosis at 35 years old.

Published every other month, featuring stories from all stages of breast cancer, from women living all over the world. Themes range from love and intimacy to parenting with cancer to body image issues after breast surgery. Available in digital and print formats. wildfirecommunity.org. "I believe that telling your story (and reading the stories of others) can be the difference between a difficult cancer experience being traumatic, and a difficult cancer experience being empowering."

Follow the Guest