CancerCon Live 2024 – what an amazing experience! This past August I had the honor of being a scholarship recipient to attend CancerCon Live in Austin, TX. It was amazing. I have debated attending CancerCon since I was diagnosed with a cardiac angiosarcoma in 2022, but I had always been nervous to do so. I just didn’t know what to expect. Plus, money was tight. I’m glad I finally made the leap to go and will definitely be attending every year I am able to.
The nervousness didn’t really set in until I arrived. I was one of the first attendees there, but my nervous feelings went away almost immediately as I began to look around and realize I, finally, was not alone. All of a sudden I was in a place where I was normal for having cancer and that was an amazing feeling. Even though I didn’t know anybody yet, I just knew I would make some amazing friends with people who could finally relate to everything I’ve gone through. I was at peace and so glad I made the leap to attend.
Within the first few hours I participated in a scavenger hunt with people I’d never met, then went to the welcome reception where I met some amazing people who I will consider to be lifelong friends. Later that night there were multiple, optional events everyone had the opportunity to attend like skee ball at a local bar or a sunset paddle on the Colorado River with the organization First Descents. What was I going to do? Well, it turns out the group I met was interested in swimming at the hotel pool; these were my people!
Throughout the weekend I got to share my story with people that truly understood how rough cancer is. They wanted to hear everything. We laughed together and felt sad together when the deeper stuff was talked about. I even got to meet up with people from the MD Anderson AYA Group I had previously met online!
The Breakout Sessions and Community Dialogues were amazing. The one that stood out to me the most was the Community Dialogue for Metastatic and Advanced Patients, a group that I’m definitely a part of with a rare cancer that won’t stop trying to win. It was a room full of others in a similar spot with their cancer journey. It was great to just know I was not alone.
The downtime was great and allowed me to continue to meet new people and grow my friendships. There were even nightly fun activities to attend like karaoke. My favorite of these was, of course, the dance party aka The Lone Star Bash. Ya’ll, us cancer patients can get lit and have fun! It was just amazing to be in a room full of people impacted by cancer and for all of us to let loose and dance.
Overall, CancerCon Live 2024 was an amazing experience and I will definitely be attending again next year in DC. If you are even debating on going, I will let you know it is definitely worth the experience. The friends you make, the stuff you learn, and the fun you have, and just getting to let loose will make it an unforgettable experience. Nothing is worth stopping you from being in a room full of your people.