Hey dear friend, I’m back! I’m sure you heard I was at the first ever Global Virtual Cancer Conference last Saturday. I had so much fun watching the conference at home and later being on the panel of a session called “So, You’ve Got The Good Cancer?” We talked all about the myths struggles of having a so called “good cancer” with plenty of jokes and laughs.

Missed GVCC 19? You can still attend! All sessions, booths, and clinical trial fairs will be online for 60 days after the conference. Go to gvcc19.com ! To view my session go to “Auditorium”, click the auditorium screen, click the “Live” tab, scroll down until you find our session (you will see the title, my picture and name) and click “Play” at the right hand corner.

With that in mind, I have chosen Like We Belong by Gawvi as our song dedication tonight!

Do you truly believe that your experience matters? Are you more intimidated to share your story next to more “famous” people in our community?

I want to shout something from the rooftops!

Celebrity has no room in advocacy or our community.

Don’t get mistaken, I am not referring to humble successful advocates or highly visible people who serve, they help so much! Not to mention they would tell you the exact same thing, they started off small too, after all. I love many of these folks. “Celebrity” is something else entirely, and you can usually tell. They don’t want to engage, they just want followers. They want perks, not work. Celebrity has ego, and they don’t want competition. They have friends (who are more like fans) that may even attack up-and-comers because they like the benefits they receive by association. Some groups might even be unwelcoming, forgetting that they were once outcasts before they found their friends.

Ignore these people, it’s just noise. I want to assure you that there is not only more than enough room for you, but we need you. We need your experience. Common cancer? So what! You had your own path. Rare disease? Absolutely!

Everyone’s experience matters, and that doesn’t come with an asterisk. That means EVERYONE’S!

We belong here, we belong TOGETHER!

You belong here. And if someone tells you otherwise, tell them Alexa has your back.

Thanks for tuning in to this edition of Alexa Loves AYA’s and spending part of your evening with me. Feel free to send a link or tag on social media if a loved one needs to hear this. I look forward to dedicating another song to you and expressing my more of heart next week! I can’t wait to visit with you again, dear friend.