Carmen Monge-Montero, Researcher and Global Cancer Advocate, shared on LinkedIn:
“One of the best events I have been to for networking, sharing ideas and having a common purpose I had the opportunity to represent OncoDaily and the Lived Experience Advocacy Hub!
This invitation was extra special for me because the event really supported Young People with a lived cancer experience working on amazing projects. I’m very grateful for including me in this group and giving me this opportunity.
For the first time, I had the opportunity to have an OncoDaily and Lived Experience Advocacy Hub booth! Advocates and other people from the oncology community came to learn about the Hub, join the network, take pictures, get some of our advocacy stickers and, most importantly, have conversations with us.
And another very special moment: I had the opportunity to pitch the Lived Experience Advocacy Hub! It was great to explain what we are building and also receive very interesting questions and ideas about where the Hub can go next.
I also had the chance to meet amazing people representing important projects, especially projects working on Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) with cancer and quality of life, such as PredictAYA, TRANSCEND-XR, MAYA Project, Fundacja Onkologiczna Cancer Fighters and IMPACT-EU from Childhood Cancer International – Europe and SIOP Europe.
This was especially important for me because one of the main topics coming from the event was the importance of including AYAs. It was also great to see people with lived experience, like Carina Schneider, participating in panels and talking directly about their experience.
And I really hope that in the future, every panel talking about AYAs with cancer can also include young people with lived cancer experience. Nothing about us without us
I was also very happy to learn more about projects that are already involving people with lived cancer experience from the beginning, such as ECHoS, EU BCLEAR, EVITA – Cancro Hereditário,Outdoor Against Cancer, CURTAIN Project, and4P-CAN Project.
Because for me, this is what meaningful involvement should look like: not only asking patients what they think at the end, but including them from the beginning.
And of course, one of my favorite parts was meeting new people and finally hugging some people that I had only met online before!
Thank you so much to everyone who came to our booth, asked about the Hub, shared ideas, took a sticker or simply came to say hi!
And thank you to the EU Cancer Mission team for including us and creating space for people with lived cancer experience.
Hopefully, this is only the beginning of many collaborations between OncoDaily, different cancer projects and organisations, advocates and people with lived cancer experience. If we couldn’t talk this time, hopefully we will have another chance to connect at ESMO in Madrid or online (DM me) and see how we can collaborate
Lived experience is expertise. Now let’s build with it.”
Other articles featuring Carmen Monge-Montero on OncoDaily.
