This month’s spotlight is on Wildfire magazine, a publication devoted to young breast cancer survivors. Its contributors are all diagnosed under the age of 45 – a growing population decades younger than the average breast cancer fighter with few age-appropriate resources available. Each issue contains written and visual work from young women survivors from all over the world, focused on themes related to survivorship. Wildfire provides much needed community and support for survivors navigating the complex challenges that a young diagnosis can bring. 

Santa Cruz, California-based founder and visionary April Stearns created Wildfire after her own breast cancer diagnosis at age 35. She is passionate about helping those diagnosed on the younger side know that they are not alone. She loves to support women in telling their own story, and in doing so help to shift a traumatic, isolating cancer experience into a transformative, empowering one. April’s writing workshops and retreats have provided me with a safe, healing space to process my experience among other women who truly understand.  

For the first time in the magazine’s five year history, Wildfire focused all 100 pages in a single issue on women living in a shared geographic location for its February “Bay Area Young Survivors” issue. This issue spotlights the young women diagnosed with breast cancer in California’s beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, specifically the members of a dynamic hyperlocal group called BAYS-MITC (Bay Area Young Survivors & Mets in the City). It features a variety of topics on survivorship, highlighting what the writers know to be “the real truth” about their experience of breast cancer.

I was ecstatic to receive my copies in the mail this week, and while I never dreamed my first periodical piece would be in a magazine for young survivors, it certainly is a pretty sweet silver lining.

Check out Wildfire to learn more and subscribe or purchase digital or print copies. They make wonderful gifts for loved ones!

                                            BAYS issue author launch party

 

2 Comments

  1. Fran Swan

    Well done. Congratulations!!

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