Heroes Heartbeat: A Lifeline During Battle

Take a moment and think back to your teenage/early twenties days. Remember those days? Maybe you refer to them as "the good ol' days," "the glory days," or perhaps "the not so glory days. Whichever category you fit into, imagine that during a period of that time in your life you were diagnosed with a serious, possibly deadly, disease like cancer? For many teens and young adults, high school and college can be a relatively normal thing these days - that is unless you have cancer. Such a growing and influential period in life where priorities are things like friends and fitting in; not dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately however, this is a true reality for many teens and young adults and support is an essential component in helping them brave the battle.

According to an online source, teens and young adults battling a disease, like cancer, must deal with feelings of loneliness when it comes to their peers not feeling the same as they do. Others find it harder to fight the problems that come with isolation and disease. They often feel completely alone, as though no one really understands how they may be feeling. You may find it’s already hard enough at this age but these pressures can make this time of life even harder.

Since Heroes for Children started in 2004, we’ve consistently researched and resourced ways to help patients and their families battling childhood cancer. In doing so, we created a program that not only eases the social struggles many teen and young adult cancer patients face, but the scholastic struggles as well. Laptops for Love is a social assistance program that donates new laptops to patients age 10 – 22 battling cancer. This unique program provides teens with a link to the outside world while undergoing cancer treatment and allows them to keep up with their school work while away from the classroom. Between January 2005 and December 2010, Laptops for Love has provided nearly 400 patients with a laptop; 17 laptops have been donated to patients already since Jan. 1, 2011. The difference this makes for the patient is immeasurable!