…to the online home of Chasing Rainbows Young Adult Cancer Advocacy, an initiative developed by Pat Taylor with the mission of discovering and distributing multi-media support resources for young adults living with cancer, as well as for their caregivers, family, friends, and medical professionals.
Pat says…
“I became an advocate for young adults living with cancer in 1997, when my own daughter Sara was diagnosed at age 23. She dreamed of doing something about the lack of resources targeted at her age group…something to let others like her know that they weren’t alone. She agreed to have her 2.5-year struggle with cancer documented on film in Sara’s Story (Infinity Films, 2000) and also began work on a second documentary entitled Chasing Rainbows: Young Adults Living With Cancer.
Six years after Sara’s death in 2000, I completed Chasing Rainbows on her behalf, and spent the next several years working to distribute it across Canada and throughout the world. On this journey, I encountered many young adult cancer patients and survivors who were telling their own stories. They were making films, writing books, hosting radio shows, creating retreats and adventure programs designed specifically for their age group. I was – and continue to be – impressed by their strength, passion and creativity, and it seemed clear that the next step in fulfilling Sara’s dream would be for me to support and raise awareness not only of her projects but also of a wide range of other resources in a variety of media. Thus a new platform was born: Chasing Rainbows Young Adult Cancer Advocacy.
In recent years, while continuing to advocate for young adults, I have expanded my focus to include their caregivers. As editor of the Caregivers’ Section at Cancer Knowledge Network I am proud to highlight resources and personal stories that provide insight and support into the challenges faced by the parents, friends, partners and others who are on the cancer journey with their young adult loved ones.”