Young adults suffering from cancer don’t qualify for many benefits and programs since they are above the age of 18. In fact, this group has been ignored for years. There are also very few adult-centered programs that can actually meet the needs of this forgotten age-group.
This is where the Live for Today Foundation comes in. The non-profit organization was established to help young adults with cancer enjoy the time that they have left. The organization ensures this by providing social gatherings and custom adventures for this special group of individuals.
Most of us take a lot for granted, but for many cancer patients, every moment counts. This is something that Todd Blake understands all too clearly.
Change of plans
When Blake joined the University of Florida’s pre-med program, he had plans to become a doctor. He was doing well until he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at 18. He endured two bone marrow transplants and hours of radiation therapy as well as various chemotherapy treatments. Some of his treatments were experimental.
Through it all, Blake learned the importance of simply connecting with his age group, having fun and staying positive. “I was over age 18,” Blake says. “I didn’t qualify for any of the programs or benefits within the child cancer networks and many of the adult-centered programs didn’t meet my needs.”
Blake’s search for programs that offered an opportunity to socialize outside the hospital setting proved futile.
Idea Born out of Love
Some years earlier, Blake’s father fought to keep his son’s faith alive. He wanted his son to have the same fun and adventurous experiences that other young college-going adults his age were having. Blake’s father reached out to his friends for ideas.
“I enjoyed shooting lessons at the sheriff’s office, fishing and a flight on a Cessna 220 as a result of the suggestions that poured in,” recalls Blake. “These experiences helped take my mind off the treatment.”
When Blake relapsed, he realized that he needed to give back. His adventures inspired him to set up the Live for Today Foundation in 2012. The organization offers young adult cancer patients highly customized experiences to help them find a new lease in life.
“Being far up in the air away from all the mess that is my life made me think that there is more to life and it’s worth living for,” says Marissa Lerna, the first recipient of the organization’s adventure program. She piloted the same plane Blake flew years earlier while undergoing treatment. She’s in remission today and credits a lot of her resolve to continue with treatment and fight for life to her experience soaring in the Cessna 210.
