The Making of an Advocate: Stephanie Samolovitch
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Stephanie Samolovitch was a late bloomer when it came to advocating for young adults (YA) with cancer. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005 at age 19, but it wasn’t until six years later, after she’d graduated with a master’s degree in social work, that she realized few organizations provided the emotional, social, and financial support needed by YA cancer community members.
“While in college and grad school, I shared my own scary story with anyone who’d listen,” Samolovitch says. “Then I started my first job — as an intern and, next, as director of support services — at the Cancer Caring Center in Pittsburgh, where I recognized that other young adults with cancer needed to share their stories with other YAs.”
With the center’s encouragement, she started a passion project hosting a monthly YA support group serving western Pennsylvania. “It provided a safe space where they could share their stories, offer each other nonjudgmental support, and know that what was said in the room stayed in the room,” Samolovitch says.
By 2014, it was clear that this particular age-group needed something more than just a safe space, she says. “They needed to get out of the house. They needed positive, fun experiences with others who ‘get it.’” The “it,” she says, was the uniqueness of this cancer community, from diagnosis and treatment through survivorship, with its attendant concerns about the risks of recurrence, secondary cancers, and treatment-related long-term effects.
“We face issues that aren’t relatable for people younger and older, such as a sense of isolation from our peers,” Samolovitch says, “Or missing major milestones in our lives, and concerns about our finances when some of us are barely out of college or grad school.”
Samolovitch soon began offering $100 grants annually — which are now up to $500 — to young adults who applied for her program at the Cancer Caring Center.
By 2019, she says, “I could see that this community of ours needed even more — especially counseling and other kinds of mental health support, workshops, education programs — more social events and opportunities.”
The best way to provide these services was to start her own organization, Samolovitch says. So, in March 2020, she created Young Adult Survivors United (YASU) to help provide emotional, financial, and social support to young adults diagnosed with cancer.
Initial Goal
When she started the organization, Samolovitch’s goal was to provide a safe space and community for young adults with cancer. “We needed a place where everyone could be open about the issues they face, especially their mental health, and know that they wouldn’t be judged,” Samolovitch says.
How It’s Evolved
Listening to people’s stories and to feedback from cancer centers, Samolovitch says, “led us to continue prioritizing YA mental health, which is still a taboo subject, and financial toxicity — finding referrals for financial assistance, as cancer’s costs are a significant burden to young adults.”
Inner Mantra
Hearing YA cancer survivors’ stories and seeing the difference that YASU makes for them keeps her pushing forward, Samolovitch says. “Every day, I remind myself that I have a unique purpose in this world, that I’m privileged to be in this position, and that I can’t allow anyone in our community to feel isolated or lost.”
Role Models
The youngest of three siblings, Samolovitch says she looks to her parents as role models. “They both led hard lives, and yet what they accomplished, what they created for our family, I’m humble and grateful,” she says. “They’ve inspired me to keep going, to continue moving forward, and to never take anything for granted.”
She also lauds Samantha (Sam) Eisenstein Watson, founder of the Expect Miracles Foundation’s SamFund, which provides financial assistance and support to young adult cancer survivors. “Sam, who’s a two-time cancer survivor turned advocate and fundraiser, strategically grew her organization, always staying clear-eyed about its mission,” Samolovitch says. “She gave YASU financial assistance at the start and has supported us ever since.” Watson now works as a philanthropic consultant with YASU and others. “I call her my hero,” Samolovitch says.
Advice for Other Patients and Potential Advocates
To young adults diagnosed with cancer, Samolovitch advises: “Don’t be shy about telling people what you need in terms of support and services. There’s no reason to face it alone, no shame in recognizing that you need assistance and in taking advantage of all available resources.”
Samolovitch’s advice for potential advocates: “Advocating is educating, and in that regard your voice matters. Be prepared to encourage people to have the hard conversations about mental health, infertility, sex, and survivorship, such as transitioning back to prediagnosis relationships.”
Recommended Resources
Cactus Cancer Society A nonprofit, Cactus Cancer Society provides a range of free online wellness and support programs for young adults facing cancer. Resources are available via its website to people ages 18 to 45 with cancer, regardless of diagnosis, geographic location, financial situation, or inpatient status.
Elephants and Tea This seemingly whimsical name describes a magazine, available digitally and in print, written for and by the adolescent and young adult cancer community. The nonprofit media brand of the Steven G. Cancer Foundation, its Elephants and Tea name derives from the elephant in the room — cancer — and from the relief — tea — that conversation provides.
First Descents At the heart of First Descents are free outdoor adventure programs that empower young adults with cancer or other serious health conditions to climb, paddle, and surf past their diagnosis, and to find a community with others who are doing the same. Programs are open to people diagnosed with cancer or multiple sclerosis who are currently ages 18 to 45, as well as caregivers and healthcare workers.
Stupid Cancer The aim of Stupid Cancer is to help adolescents and young adults with cancer, along with family members and caregivers, by ending isolation and building community. Its age-appropriate resources cover a range of practical topics and include webinars, guides, discussion series, and online and in-person meetups with patients, survivors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.
True North Treks This nonprofit offers free immersive backpacking and canoeing treks, retreat-style experiences, and training in mindfulness, meditation, and yoga (in the field and online) that builds connections with nature, peers, and participants’ own selves. True North Treks also supports its alumni’s ongoing health and provides programming in cancer prevention and positive lifestyle behaviors to the public and those at increased cancer risk.
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