Are you feeling nervous about going to a Trekstock event?

We understand that it can feel scary to come along, especially if you don't know anyone else who is going. We asked Kristina to tell us about her experience of coming to her first Trekstock event.

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I found Trekstock accidentally somewhere in between chemotherapy and radiotherapy when I was looking for young people going through the same thing as me and the community that could help me going through the recovery process. When I saw Trekstock was for young people affected with cancer, they had me right away! I scrolled their website, their sister organisations, and their Instagram profile... it was love at first sight! It felt like: "Kristina, this is what you need. They are there for you."

I was super excited to experience all the amazing things that Trekstock is offering us - cancer patients, and our supporters. I'm not gonna lie, but I was most excited about meeting all those people and going for events to socialise a bit more! During my chemotherapy, I was mostly alone. My family lives in Croatia so I had no one here except my friend who was living with me, and my sister who came to help me at the end of chemo. Basically my most social days were ones spent in the hospital with all those lovely nurses. I started following Trekstock before my radiotherapy started but I was still not ready to actually meet anyone as I wanted to feel better first.

After my last radiotherapy, I decided it's time and joined my first Trekstock meet up in 2020 in London where we did a short walk (due to weather conditions) followed by cake and coffee. I was super nervous. I thought I had forgotten how to socialize or communicate with anyone new, so I brought my sister with me as my support, my backup. As soon as we all met at the station I felt good, not nervous like before but rather peaceful. I already realised I would love it more than I thought!

I met so many wonderful people, heard their stories, they heard mine, we laughed at all these cancer-related symptoms and how our life is now affected by this chemo brain, amazing! We all really enjoyed it! We were all relaxed like we had known each other for months or even years!

It was the first time I had shared my story with someone new, and in person. I was super nervous about it because whenever I say it to someone else I feel shocked. I still can't really believe that I went through all that. In the end, I was relieved with letting it all out and sharing it with others. They were all just listening: all I actually needed and there was no need to say anything. Speaking with someone who understands what you have been through means a lot, it really makes a difference in coping with side effects and building your new persona. We discussed meeting up at another Trekstock meeting, Lifting the Lid, and, of course, we exchanged our social media accounts to stay in touch.

It needed lots of courage to come to my first Trekstock event but I'm glad I did it! I will stay forever grateful to Trekstock for their support. All this means a lot to me and I'm sure it does for others as well.

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If you want to come to a Trekstock event to meet others your age who get it, you can book a place for free on our events page.