Cancer Survivor & Founder of teen-cancer.com

It was a great pleasure speaking with Clarissa Schlistra, a two-time Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia survivor, college student, e-Patient and founder of teen-cancer.com. When I see the term “two-time…” I want to fill in the blanks with “…Heavyweight Champion of the World!” In Clarissa’s case, it’s an apt moniker because she has not only fought and won a tough battle with cancer, it has made her stronger and dedicated to helping other kids and youth in the same fight. As you will hear in our discussion, there is a unique challenge for teens undergoing treatment for a health issue. They are too old for toys or clowns but facing the challenges of growing up in a situation where there are very few other teens to interact with in person.

Clarissa found a resource while she was ill in Care Pages, a free website that enables patients and their families to connect online to give updates, send and receive messages. She was able to find other patients her age who shared valuable tips on dealing with her situation.

Visit our resources page for more valuable (and free!) resources on social media and digital health

• Clarissa’s blog and website: teen-cancer.com
• Cool Kids Campaign
• Johns Hopkins Camp Sunrise
• Duke University Blue Devils vs. Cancer Facebook page 
• Profile at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center when she was a teenager.
• Clarissa’s blog post for HIMSS “Social Media in Healthcare: The Patient’s Perspective.”
• “When there was no hope, I used my imagination to create it” – Blog post for KevinMD.com

Our Social Media Tip comes from Allison Carter, a freelance writer and content strategist at AllisonBCarter.com. Alison recommends “Engage, Social Media is about creating community.”