Ages 18–35 · During treatment and after

The gap on the resume isn't the problem. Not knowing anyone is.

A volunteer-led professional network for adolescents and young adults whose careers were interrupted by cancer. One comfortable conversation at a time, with people who are already familiar with what you've been through.

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85,000+ adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer in the US each year
1 in 24 of all US cancer diagnoses happen between ages 15–39
~88% survive five years or more and come back to careers on pause

Source: National Cancer Institute, SEER

The route back

one hold at a time

The route back, one hold at a time A career drawn as a climbing route. It rises from a first job at age 22 to a second hold, then a dotted stretch for diagnosis, treatment and recovery: two years with no work history. A cobalt arc labelled one conversation bridges that gap to the third hold, ready to work at age 25, and the route keeps climbing to a fourth hold, and onward. 1 2 3 4 First job, age 22 Diagnosis, treatment, recovery two years, no work history One conversation Ready to work, age 25 and onward The route back, one hold at a time A career drawn as a climbing route. It rises from a first job at age 22 to a second hold, then a dotted stretch for diagnosis, treatment and recovery: two years with no work history. A cobalt arc labelled one conversation bridges that gap to the third hold, ready to work at age 25, and the route keeps climbing to a fourth hold, and onward. 1 2 3 4 First job, age 22 Diagnosis, treatment, recovery two years, no work history One conversation Ready to work, age 25 and onward

Who this is for

  • Ages 18 to 35
  • Any diagnosis
  • Any industry
  • Remote or local
  • Free, always

No medical information is ever required

Two colleagues talking through something together on a laptop in a shared office

What we do

We don't give career advice. We give you a person inside the building.

Networking and coffee chats are a vital part of any job search. But a diagnosis in your twenties or early thirties lands at the exact moment a career is supposed to be forming, and afterwards every one of those conversations begins with accounting for the gap. For someone in remission, that usually means explaining that the gap was cancer. It is an admission that instantly changes the room, and it makes the conversation awkward for both sides.

Here, that moment has already happened before anyone speaks. We match you with a volunteer who works in the field you're aiming for and who already knows your situation, so the conversation can be about where you're headed, not what you've been through.

It starts as one 30-minute conversation. Sometimes that's all it is, and that's enough. Often it becomes a chain: they introduce you to someone they know, who knows someone else. Step by step, a network rebuilds. Where it fits, a warm referral happens too. But the first step is the point.

How to get involved

Colleagues in a meeting room smiling at a laptop together

For AYA patients & survivors

Want to get connected to our network?

If cancer took the job, the offer, or the years you'd have spent building a network, this is a comfortable way back in. No cost, no minimum recovery stage, no obligation to talk about being sick, and no pressure for anything to 'come of it.' A first conversation is the win.

Join the network →
Two coworkers in conversation at a desk in an open office

For professionals

Want to become a volunteer?

You don't need a cancer history or a coaching background. You need a job and thirty minutes. We handle matching and scheduling, and start with a short Zoom vetting call.

Volunteer with us →