ON A JOURNEY WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND CANCER
Seas of time. Wind in the sails. Standing at the helm. Falling between land and ship. In the same boat.
A week ago, many Dutch expressions suddenly took on a double meaning.
For the fifth time, I joined the Stichting Jongeren en Kanker team for an unforgettable voyage aboard Stichting Zeilschip Eendracht.
Together with over thirty other young people living with (the effects of) cancer, I once again embraced the challenge. Lines cast off in IJmuiden, crossing to England, and five days later returning to Rotterdam.
Not all of these young people have seas of time. Some of us already have an expiration date. Knowing the end is near, without knowing exactly when. Bravely, they keep sailing on, searching for control in this foggy period.
Cancer temporarily took the wind from our sails. One moment you’re in the whirlwind of studying, dating, partying, applying for jobs, falling in love, getting married, buying a house, and having children. The next moment, it’s calm. Your healthy peers sail past you, moving toward adulthood and the rest of their carefree lives, while you are left behind.
Then you enter the medical mill. Arriving on time for appointments, infusions of who-knows-what entering your body, being scanned and probed by intimidating machines. You’re asked for input on decisions, but deep down you know there’s only one choice: endure it all. The helm you just took control of in your life has been violently and unexpectedly ripped from your hands.
And then, after processing the first blows, you cautiously look around again. Everything that once felt certain now feels uncertain. Your environment seems changed. But really, you’ve lost yourself. You feel like the only one. Everyone wants to help, but no one really understands. You are listened to, but not truly heard.
And then you realize you’re not alone. There are others. Fellow sufferers, as they’re called. But you think you don’t belong? Until you discover that they too are ‘normal’ people like you. With plans, goals, and dreams for the future. All of it disrupted by cancer. We’re in the same boat. And secretly, that’s actually quite nice.
Dear fellow travelers, thank you for another fantastic week at sea!
Stichting Jongeren en Kanker: “The coolest club you don’t want to be part of!”