Tanja Zientara, a English teacher in London is starting a cancer support group for teens and young adults after her son (23) Nick Greeson suddenly passed away of testicular cancer in 2018.
Tanja is trying to start a local group for those between 18 to 25 so they can talk, laugh, and share hardship as they undergo cancer treatments.
Credit: Tanja Zientara
When Nick was diagnosed in 2012 he was only 17, where he got “a lot of support” says Tanja, even saying he was given “lots of ice cream and was in a big room with lots of people to talk to”.
Tanja goes on to say, “the minute he turned 18, which was a very short time later. He was tossed up into adult oncology on the seventh floor where basically he was just in this tiny room, which he shared with an 80 year old with a slick for a window if he was lucky enough to have a window looking at a brick wall and there was no one to talk to all the supports were gone. And there was nothing in this area”.
Tanja even mentioned “I hate to say it but it’s expected to get cancer when you’re older. I mean that’s just not a common thing to happen when you’re 23 when you’re 17, this is completely unexpected and completely rare and you feel so isolated you feel so out of it”.
Tanja is starting this support group in hopes she can find young adults dealing with cancer and give them a chance to support each other even saying “We had tons of support from our family and stuff, but he had no one else who was going through cancer. And most teenagers who are 17 years old don’t have any clue, right? They don’t know how to relate to some kid going through cancer treatment the utter hell of the chemo, the radiation, the surgery, like the vomiting the mini heart attacks like I could just go on and on the Osteo necrosis. Like how can they possibly relate right?
If you would like to join this support group email Tanja directly; tanjazientara@protonmail.com or call (226)378-4461.
Credit: Tanja Zientara
Credit: Tanja Zientara
