Coping with Cancer in Early Adulthood: From Diagnosis to Treatment to Day-To-Day Life Changes, Navigating Your Cancer Journey

Empowering young adult cancer patients with expert guidance, practical strategies, and heartfelt real-life stories, Coping with Cancer in Early Adulthood draws on decades of experience from Cristina Pozo-Kaderman, PhD, and Saul Wisnia to help reclaim life and identity amidst the challenges of a cancer diagnosis.

Coping with Cancer in Early Adulthood explores the emotional, physical, and practical challenges faced by young adults aged 18-49 who are navigating a cancer diagnosis during critical life milestones in early adulthood. This guide provides actionable advice for managing emotional struggles, financial concerns, relationship challenges, and physical health changes caused by cancer.

Cristina Pozo-Kaderman is a clinical psychologist and director of the Young Adult Program and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Saul Wisnia is Dana-Farber’s senior publications editor. Drawn from their over fifty-five combined years of experience working with and telling the stories of early-adult patients, this guide will address topics such as:
-Mood and mental health changes
-Loss of independence
-Feelings of isolation
-Managing relationships
-Financial toxicity
-Fertility and sexual health changes
-Redefining ＂normal＂
-Fear of recurrence and ＂scanxiety＂

Meeting patients where they are in the cancer journey, Coping with Cancer in Early Adulthood aims to empower patients to advocate for themselves and tackle challenges head-on. Offering actionable self-care tips, expert-backed strategies, and real-life cancer survivor stories, this resource supports young adults and their caregivers in overcoming cancer’s emotional and physical toll to rebuild identity and find hope.

Cristina Pozo-Kaderman, PhD is a clinical psychologist and director of the Young Adult Program (YAP) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Pozo-Kaderman obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Miami. She completed her internship at Cornell Medical College, Payne Whitney Clinic, and her fellowship in psychooncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As a psychologist, Dr. Pozo-Kaderman exclusively serves young adults who have received a cancer diagnosis, often following them from the time of diagnosis until several years post-treatment. As the head of the YAP, she is responsible for programming that is available to the totality of Dana-Farber’s young adult client population; this programming includes individual psychosocial services, support groups, education, webinars, advocacy, partnerships and events with national nonprofits, and the annual Young Adult Cancer Conference.

Saul Wisnia is senior publications editor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. A former sports and news correspondent at The Washington Post and feature reporter at The Boston Herald, he is the author or coauthor of numerous books including the Library Journal starred guide Spinal Cord Injury and the Family.