Elephants and Tea - December 2022 - 6

Gen Z TEEN CANCER AMERICA
A Powerful Vessel
BY SAVANNAH MASON
O
" I'm so fat. "
" I hate the way my thighs look when I sit. "
" My cellulite and stretch marks are ugly. "
" Look how big my stomach is. "
" Why are my arms so big? "
" Ugh, I hate that picture, I have a double chin. "
" I wish I looked as thin as I did last year. "
h wait, last year is when
I was underweight. Last
year is when the cancer
cells invaded my body and
started tearing it down,
wearing away at it and
ripping away my energy. Still, sometimes
there is a sliver in time when I wish I could
look that thin again. I don't wish to be
that sick again, but I wish I was thinner.
How can I then-knowing I was underweight
and extremely sick with a foreign
entity growing in my head-still wish to
look that thin? What does it say about our
culture that I would want to look like I
did when I was fighting for my life? How
twisted is that?
I have struggled with body image issues
for as long as I can remember. It dates
back to being picked on in elementary
school for the extra baby weight I carried
in my stomach. When I was a freshman in
high school, I kept a strict food journal. I
counted my calories, tracked everything I
ate, and if I considered it to be unhealthy,
I would not eat it. I would sometimes skip
breakfast, even though I felt hungry, for
fear that I would gain more weight. Not to
mention the fact that I was on the rowing
team in high school, burning thousands of
calories during each workout. My mindset
eventually changed as I began to fall
more in love with the sport and saw others
around me who were built just like I was.
I realized that I was strong and beautiful,
and I learned to accept my body. I come
from a long line of powerful, strong women
who also happen to be beautiful and curvy.
Something happened in the summer of
2022 that was certainly not anticipated,
which changed my perspective of my body.
I began experiencing strange neurological
The Gen Z column is a partnership with Teen Cancer America and allows members
of Gen Z to speak their truth about living with cancer as younger AYAs.
Every adolescent and young adult (AYA) that gets diagnosed with cancer in the
United States deserves access to specialized clinical care and support services
that improve their survival and quality of life during and after treatment.
Teen Cancer America provides the expertise that hospitals and healthcare professionals
require to understand the unique needs and nuances of AYA cancer
care. They help health systems develop age-specific programs and restructure
those systems to best support the currently underserved population.
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ELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM
DECEMBER 2022
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Elephants and Tea - December 2022

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