Will YOU be part of The SAMFund's Grand Plan?

It's been a big week for us at The SAMFund... First, we launched our brand new video. And now, we're launching a huge online campaign, called The SAMFund's Grand Plan: 30 Days to Raise $1K!

Simply put, the Grand Plan is about making a difference in someone else's life.

Since 2005, The SAMFund has awarded $600,000 in grants and scholarships to young adult survivors across the country. In June, we'll open the application process for the seventh year in a row -- and we are anticipating more applications than ever before.

From May 2nd to May 31st, people from all over the country will be raising money for The SAMFund. Every penny raised will go directly to young adult survivors who are trying to move forward with their lives after treatment. And here's the best part: YOU get to choose what it gets used for!

Here's the deal: our four most commonly funded categories are rent, health insurance, gym/yoga memberships and prescription co-pays. $1,000 could have a huge impact on any of these:

• It could provide an extra month or two of rent to someone facing eviction;
  
• It could ensure that a survivor can mantain critical health insurance coverage for three additional months;
  
• It could give two young adults the opportunity to go to the gym/yoga for an entire year, so that they can keep up their physical strength and well-being; or
  
• It could provide six months' worth of prescriptions for two grant recipients.

(We fund lots of other stuff as well, so if you'd rather pick a different category, that's an option, too.)

No matter how you look at it, $1,000 could mean a world of difference to a young adult who is struggling.

So, become part of our Grand Plan to help even more young adult survivors this fall. Go to http://www.thesamfund.stayclassy.org, set up your page, and engage your friends, family and colleagues in this important effort. If everyone reading this blog post raises just $1,000, imagine the possibilities...

The SAMFund proudly presents...

Big news: our brand new SAMFund video is done! We are so ridiculously excited to share it with you. But first, a few thanks...

This video is the result of many months of hard work; it has, in all senses, been a labor of love. We are so very grateful to:

• Bill and Elliot, two dedicated videographers who put a great deal of time and thought into making this a story of empowerment and possibility.
  
• Matthew Larsen and The Documents, who provided the music from their recently released album, Apheresis. Matthew was the 2008 recipient of The SAMFund's Andrea Coller Memorial Award.
• Danny, Jennifer, Tuere and Michelle, four of our SAMFund alumni who were willing to share their incredible stories in an honest, personal way, and Jetty, Brian, Bettina and Dominick, also alumni, who heard about this project, dusted off their webcams and participated long-distance.
  
• All of our other alumni who sent in wonderful, compelling video clips. We wish we could have included every single one! We will be sharing them here on our blog and website in the coming weeks.

The final product is the best possible reflection of where The SAMFund is now, what we've worked for since 2003, and why our programs matter. Its message is clear: with just a little bit of help when they need it the most, young adult survivors are capable of achieving their greatest dreams.

So, without any further ado, I am proud to share our 2011 SAMFund video with each and every one of you in the blogosphere. Together with Bill and Elliot, I dedicate it to the memory of our friend Brian Gawlik, who was instrumental in creating our very first video almost seven years ago, and whose strength and creativity continues to inspire us all.

Thank you for continuing to be part of The SAMFund family.

NYACAW 2011

To how many of you does this sound familiar?

You are a young adult: healthy, active, and invincible. (Two out of three is okay, too.)

One day, you notice a new pain, bump or bruise. You ignore it for a couple of weeks, but it doesn't go away. Maybe it even gets worse. Finally, it lingers long enough that you decide someone else needs to check it out.

So you go to your doctor and give a detailed account of what's going on. Five minutes later, the doctor sends you home with a prescription for a) a good night's sleep, b) a glass of wine, or c) some Tylenol, saying that "it's nothing" and "you're probably just overtired/working too hard/under a lot of pressure/imagining it."

Weeks, months or (hopefully not) a year later you find out that it wasn't in your head - you have cancer, and because the diagnosis has come so late you have fewer options for treatment and your prospects for long-term survival have dropped significantly. (Oh, and you'll also probably have to be out of work for awhile, so kiss your paycheck goodbye, and by the way you're about to be slammed with a stack of medical bills like nothing you've ever seen.)

Unfortunately, this story is all too common among young adults today.

Enter National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week (NYACAW).

In 2002, Vital Options decided that it was important to raise awareness of the fact that young adults get cancer -- all types. NYACAW is one week out of the year, dedicated to reminding young adults that they are the ones who know their bodies best and it is important -- critical -- that they advocate for themselves. It's one week to let doctors know that yes, young adults *do* get cancer and no, it's *not* okay to dismiss them without listening to them. It's one week to inform young adults who have been diagnosed about the amazing network of organizations providing support and resources designed just for them.

It's about empowerment. It's about information. Most of all, it's about awareness.

There are more than 70,000 young adults in this country who are diagnosed with cancer each year. And yet, survival rates among this age group haven't improved in 25 years.

So, in honor of NYACAW 2011, let's not just talk about raising awareness -- let's actually do it. Show your support by posting the logo above on your Facebook page for a week. Share this video with your friends, your family members, your favorite medical professionals and everyone else you know. Make sure the young adults you know and love are taking care of themselves and speaking up when they think something isn't right. Volunteer with your favorite cancer organization or find a new one, and help them raise some extra money so that they can provide more support to more young adults this year.

If we're going to see improvements in survival rates, then we need earlier detection, more focused research and recognition that young adults are a unique segment of the population with a distinct set of needs. It's time to make sure the collective voice of the young adult cancer community is not only heard, but listened to. Together, we can effect change -- and we have a responsibility to make sure we do.

I can't end this post without a shout-out and heartfelt thanks to Selma Schimmel, founder of Vital Options (the first organization dedicated to young adults with cancer) and truly a pioneer of this movement, and to all of my friends and colleagues in the young adult cancer community. Thank you all for the work you do on a daily basis and for your unwavering commitment to making things better for the young adults who will be diagnosed in the future. I am inspired every day by you.