Trying to find similarly aged people for a friend to talk to

askingforafriend

Hi everyone,

I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with breastcancer and is now undergoing treatment. She has expressed to me that one of the things that she is struggling with is not having any similarly aged people to talk to at the local support groups. I believe she has stage two breast cancer and she is in her early 30s.

Any advisement would be great as I am a little lost on how to help her to be honest. I read that these forums were well moderated and a good starting point.

moderators

Hello @askingforafriend

Thank you reaching out on our community boards. I’m so sorry your friend is going through this, and honestly, having someone like you in her corner already means a lot. Many younger women diagnosed with breast cancer share similar feelings about not seeing people their age in local support groups.

You may want to encourage her to look into young survivor-specific breast cancer groups, online communities, or organizations like Young Survivors Coalition, that focus on women diagnosed under 40. Sometimes connecting with people in a similar life stage can make a huge difference emotionally. At BCO, we also have virtual support groups with individuals of all ages. She is more than welcome to join us.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of simply checking in, listening, and being present. A lot of times people don’t need us to “fix” it, they just don’t want to feel alone in it.

Hope this helps.

- Community Navigators