st. john's lodge no 2 - The Trestleboard

But for young people, it can often feel extra unfair. It's a time when their adult lives begin to take shape ‐ they're starting careers and families, working toward financial independence, travelling and setting life goals.

A cancer diagnosis for a young person also means they're grappling with issues that might not be as pertinent to older folks: body image, dating and intimacy are all affected by cancer treatment, and there are often snap decisions that need to be made about family planning and fertility before cancer treatment starts.

At a time when they're focusing on building more independence, a cancer diagnosis can force them into a place where they need to depend on others more than they would like. It can also be very isolating; because cancer is rare in those between the ages of 18 and 40, it can be tough to find peers who understand and can empathize.

To say cancer is an unwelcome interference is an understatement.

Here is a story of survival, how a life was upended and how this person found the motivation to carry on, deal with the disappointment of dashed dreams and pick up the pieces of their lives after a crushing diagnosis.

Kolter Bouchard, a radio host for 102.1 The Edge, was struggling with some typical life stressors and COVID-19 in 2020: his wife had just given birth to their first child, he was working from home and was in the middle of moving.

So, at age 28, when he felt a couple of bumps on his neck, the radio host didn't really consider cancer despite it being one of Google's top results for his symptoms.

"I had to convince myself that, no, it's probably not that. I'm probably sick or it'll pass," Bouchard said.

But when the lumps multiplied and spread to the other side of the neck, he knew it was time to see a doctor ‐ not an easy feat during the early days of the pandemic.

Soon, he had an answer: it was Hodgkin lymphoma. For a guy like Bouchard, who says he's usually pretty good at handling emotion and uncertainty, the diagnosis was almost too much.

"I would explain situations to my wife and then I would break down in tears afterwards and just howl at the ceiling," he said.

His daughter, only six months old at the time, was too young to understand, but Bouchard remembers being concerned about how his loved ones would react.

"I think a lot of other cancer survivors or people experiencing cancer will tell you the same thing ‐ it feels like you need to be there for people more than they need to be there for you."

A month after receiving his diagnosis, Bouchard started chemotherapy. A few cycles in, he heard devastating words from his doctor: "It''s not working."

His condition continued to worsen, and his doctors switched him to something called "salvage" chemo, a "dark and morbid term," he explained, "because