Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Ahead of their show tonight at Fenway, lead singer of rock band The Who Sir Roger Daltrey visited Dana Farber Cancer Institute on Tuesday to meet with patients and their families, as well as celebrate the 10th anniversary of their organization Teen Cancer America, founded with bandmate Pete Townshend, partnering with the institute.
TCA was founded for teens and young adults going through treatment as a way to help them connect with other people their age, as those in this environment tend to be grouped with folks who are much younger or older, leading to difficulty in finding those to relate with in such a difficult time in their life.
This safe space has been very important for people like Jillian Chernoble, who is a part of the program.
“Some days you can have really good days and some days they’re really down days so just having a group that always understands that and can roll those waves with you is very important,” Chernoble said.
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Samantha Moreno-Ulibarri is another member of the program that has found a lot of comfort in having people her age who she can relate to.
“When you come out of it is when it really gets hard,” Moreno-Ulibarri said. “That's when you need people that get you and see you and can understand you to let you know that you're going to be able to get through this because other young adults don't get you anymore.”
Daltrey himself spoke about how crucial it is to have people your age that you can find solace in during treatment and beyond.
“Because it involves that middle group, it’s so hard for them these days, life is changing so fast,” Daltrey said. “Because it brings them into the community more than being isolated, I think it will help the whole of society.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Kyle Bray (@KyleBrayWBZ) reports.