15-to-40 Connection Comes to BC

This year approximately 72,000 15 to 40-year-old people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer. Cancer is the No. 1 disease-related cause of death of people in this age group, yet cancer survival rates of this age group have remained near stagnant for the past 35 years.

Despite the significant cancer-research advancement made since 1975, there has been very little improvement in young adult cancer survival rates. One of the primary reasons for this is a lack of awareness of cancer risk among this age group. Because the risk of being diagnosed with cancer increases with age, many young people ignore some of the most common warning signs of it.

The 15-40 Connection is an initiative to bring awareness to the incidence of cancer in young adults and promote early detection. Their mission is to create awareness of the fact that cancer survival rates for this age group have remained devastatingly high in addition to promoting health awareness, self-advocacy, and action, so the life-saving advantages of early detection may be possible.

In response to the shocking survival rates, the 15-40 Connection was born. In 2005 Jim Coghlin worked to begin an endowed fellowship to support the work of Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Research Program. In memory of his friend Mark Ungerer and his son David who both died from cancer, he began raising funds for cancer research and treatment. Through his efforts he learned of the alarming gap in survival rates for the 15 to 40 age group.

Jaclyn D'Esposito, A&S '13, a family friend of Coghlin, is helping bring this campaign to Boston College. "Since BC students fall into this age group I wanted to get involved and promote awareness on campus because it is such a crucial aspect of this effort," she said.

Melanoma, breast, thyroid, lymphoma, and testicular cancers are the most common cancers in young adults with symptoms like fatigue, lumps, and neurological deficits. Frequently signs of cancer are often just a subtle change in a person's normal health. Yet many young adults experience an ache or pain and wait for it to resolve itself instead of seeking medical care.

The time spent waiting before seeking help often allows cancer the time to progress to more advanced stages and generally makes it more difficult to treat. And some types of cancer can often be prevented by avoiding activities such as smoking or using tanning beds.

Increasing knowledge of common symptoms for common cancers as well as taking preventative measures can substantially reduce risk and impact the survival chances. "It's scary that today almost everyone has had their lives touched by cancer in one way or another. And yet so many people aren't aware of how to prevent or detect it," D'Esposito said.

D'Esposito and members of the 15-40 Connection are still deliberating on how to best get the message out across campus at BC. They are still working out details and gathering support for the cause, but plan to host a meeting the week after Thanksgiving for those interested in becoming involved. Furthermore they intend on hosting their first event near the end of the semester.

Although they have a separate mission from the Relay for Life organization, D'Esposito said she hopes that they may be able to collaborate in events on campus. "Once things get going, I think working together would help make both [Relay for Life and 15-40 Connection] more powerful and effective in their goal to help fight cancer," she said.