teenagers

i’ve always loved working with teenagers and have especially cherished the relationships i’ve been able to make with teens that are conquering cancer. they are not only discovering who they are as is normal in their developmental stage but they are thrown with what seem to be at times impossible challenges. with those challenges comes missing school, interrupting friendships, changes in appearance, etc. not to mention the fact that they are faced with a life threatening disease. i recently went to my ten year high school reunion, and although i had a very normal childhood with the most loving family and great friends that i fit in with at school, i was flooded with memories and thoughts of insecurity and confusion that i must have dealt with while being a teen and trying to figure out who i was. the evening was great, i got to see so many old friends that i can’t figure out why i didn’t stay in touch with and just got to relax and remember some really fun years. of course since i seem to analyze situations, this is what i will take away from the evening: i have such a deep appreciation for my upbringing and am even more humbled by the teens i get to be around. i feel so privileged to be able to walk through this phase of their life with them and help them find their identity through the circumstances that have stripped them of all they know. we had our hospital prom a few weeks ago and i so enjoyed watching the girls get their make-up done, wigs styled, fancy dresses accessorized but i loved the most getting to just stand back and watch them interact with each other. i was reminded that they are just normal kids and for a night they got to leave their disease behind and be themselves among the only other people that can really know what they are going through-their peers with cancer. once again i was completely humbled by their incredible attitudes and the fun they were having!