Unfortunately, cancer has played a bigger role in my life than I wish it had. When I was just thirteen, my mom passed after a long-fought battle with her third cancer of her life. I truly do not believe it is possible to understate the devastating impact this had on my family. As a young kid, I could not wrap my head around how unfair it felt, and processing that unfairness became a core obstacle in my life.

Sadly, the reality is that cancer is never fair. It is a terror that has destroyed families and taken loved ones from us. Fundraising is important to me because, even if a donation has a small likelihood of preventing what happened to my family and millions of others, it is still worthwhile. It is impossible to fully explain how awful experiencing a death can be, and all efforts to prevent that pain are worth it.

When adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients who have completed treatment are asked their biggest concerns, the most common is: "Will I be able to have children?" It’s not the risk for cancer recurrence or disability and disfigurement - the desire to build a family is their highest priority.  In addition to the toxicity of cancer treatments themselves, chronic health conditions can occur in the aftermath of any cancer treatment protocol, and infertility is among the most common long-term complication.

So, it’s unfortunate that in the confusion and deluge of information during a new cancer diagnosis, including staging, testing, treatment and prognosis, the topic of fertility preservation can be set aside or forgotten.   AYA cancer patients report a lack of adequate information to make informed fertility decisions.  Meeting the unique fertility goals of every patient requires appropriate fertility counseling, as well as logistical and financial access to fertility care.

One of I’m Not Done Yet's mission is to provide the resources for AYA cancer patients to preserve their fertility. 

Your support of the Shave & Buzz will help ensure that these young patients have the HOPE that despite having cancer, they can one day have a family of their own.