Kelly Allman, RDN

Marisa Castro, Musician-in-Residence

Marisa Lisette Castro recently graduated with her BA in Music Therapy. She intends to return to the medical field as a MT-BC to continue to help others using music as a tool in clinical settings. Marisa started providing bedside music and ukulele lessons with HNA since February 2019.

Caroline Catlin

Caroline Catlin is a queer writer, photographer, and grief worker who believes in the power and impact of shared truths. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Longreads, Healthline, Glamour, and elsewhere. Caroline was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer in January of 2019, at the age of 27. Following her diagnosis, she turned to social media in the hopes of building a community focused space to discuss the nuances of life alongside cancer, grief, illness, and joy. Caroline's TED talk, about end of life photography and living with incurable brain cancer has been viewed over 1 million times. She is fueled most by community, connection, and sour candy. You can visit her website here and follow her Instagram @mybodyofwater.

Dana Frost

Dana Frost is Grief Advocate, Cancer Survivor, & Writer. She is the founder of the Forced Joy Project, an organization that provides support, resources, and community to those experiencing loss. She is also the creator of Book of Stories, a custom keepsake book that captures the stories of a life lived. 

Dana is a two-time cancer survivor and was the caregiver for both her late husband and her father after their own cancer diagnoses. You can follow her story @forcedjoyproject.
 

Chelsey Gomez, artist

The Cancer Patient

Founder and creator of The Cancer Patient on Instagram @TheCancerPatient and Twitter @ogcancerpatient -- A social media platform that has a satirical way of looking at life as a cancer patient. In collaboration with Send It Foundation, Carlo brings you The Cancer Patient Podcast; a podcast for cancer patients, by cancer patients. Hosted by Send It alumni, we’ll dive into the real side of cancer providing information, validation, and connection with a healthy dose of humor, sarcasm, and wit. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: The Cancer Patient Podcast.

Trish Michelle

Trish Michelle, @trish_newyorkcity -  is a cancer thriver, public speaker & advocate. She was in her 30s when she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer).  Her treatment included a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation. This all occurred less than 2 years after her son was diagnosed with APML, a rare leukemia.

Recognizing that after a cancer diagnosis a major challenge was finding a strong community of peers in which to bond & support through difficult times. As such, Trish volunteers her time with numerous nonprofits & serves as an ambassador for the NY chapter of The Breasties.  She is also cofounder of the @hiphop_happyhour community which in one year has raised almost $30,000 for charity.

Lexi Riese, artist

Jennifer Bourneuf Carrera, MSW, LCSW

Jennifer Bourneuf Carrera MSW, LCSW has 19 years of experience in oncology social work. She has been a passionate AYA Oncology advocate since 2009, was on the founding committee of the Texas Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Conference, San Antonio, 2010-2014, facilitated a thriving AYA community and programs in San Antonio to bring together the pediatric and adult communities for this population for which she won the San Antonio Business Journal “Health Care Heroes” award in 2018.

Jennifer began her work with the Lurie Cancer Center in Dec, 2018, with a focus on helping to build an AYA community in both the adult and pediatric settings as the AYA Clinical Oncology Navigator. She provides developmentally appropriate care from a family systems approach over the care continuum ranging from provision of AYA centric biopsychosocial assessments, connection to AYA specific supports, to structured psychotherapy. Jennifer co –facilitates two support groups, one for young adults and one for caregivers of young adults as well as a monthly AYA Hangout called “It’s a C Thing” . Jennifer has a passion for the creative arts and it’s impact on well-being and often incorporates this medium into groups and events. Jennifer is a long-term survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (an OG AYA), diagnosed at 25.

Denisse Martinez, MSW, LSW

Denisse Martinez, MSW, LSW is a three-time survivor of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and is the Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Program Administrator since 2020, at The University of Chicago Medical Center’s AYA Oncology Program--  a collaborative program offering cancer care for young adults 15-39. Denisse is a licensed social worker and focuses primarily on providing patients and families with resources, knowledge, and psychosocial support for AYAs in their significant life transition. For more information on The University of Chicago’s AYA Oncology Program, please visit their website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Shortly after Denisse’s initial diagnosis at the age of 25, she pursued her master’s degree in social work from The University of Chicago where she studied trauma and resilience. Her experience as a cancer patient is what led her to her unicorn job! She is passionate about closing the gap in services for young adults with cancer. Denisse has participated in several cancer fundraiser runs since 2010, presented at Stupid Cancer’s 2021 CancerCon on the topic of Newly Diagnosed: Where to Begin?, and is also a board member of the Dear Jack Foundation-- a foundation providing impactful programming that directly benefits AYAs diagnosed with cancer. She is a certified yoga teacher, a huge music lover, enjoys traveling, and spending time with her pug, Faith.
 

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