By Blood Cancer United
Your teens and twenties are usually about looking ahead—school, work, travel, relationships, and plans that feel wide open. A cancer diagnosis can change that instantly. For many young people, life shifts from thinking about the future to focusing on the present—treatment, side effects, and big decisions that don’t come with a roadmap.
At Blood Cancer United, we work to make sure adolescents and young adults (AYA) affected by blood cancer are seen, heard, and supported. We know that cancer at a young age doesn’t happen in isolation. It can affect education, careers, fertility, mental health, and how someone sees their future.
Michelle Boyer understands this deeply. At 21, she was a PhD student studying cancer—on her way to a career in research—when she became a patient herself. What followed was a long and difficult treatment experience that reshaped her life and her perspective.
Today, Michelle is a leader in clinical development at Genentech, where her lived experience continues to inform how she thinks about progress, access, and quality of life for people with cancer.
In this guest blog, she shares what it was like to experience cancer as a young adult—and how that experience still guides the questions she asks, the science she supports, and the outcomes she cares most about.
When science becomes personal: A researcher’s life‑changing turn
by Michelle Boyer
When I was a 21-year-old molecular oncology PhD student at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I already knew my life’s calling was to fight cancer. I never expected the fight to become personal.
I had been experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms for a while, without any medical resolution. My stomach was so bloated I couldn’t tie up my jeans. I was hungry but couldn’t keep food down. I went back to the doctor and when the scan revealed a mass on my ovary, she wanted to admit me immediately. I said, “I can’t stay at the hospital now. I have Coldplay tickets for Dublin this weekend! Can I come back on Monday?!” But the situation was too serious and I was admitted.
The months that followed were grueling. Surgery, followed by chemotherapy. I struggled to tolerate the treatment and spent six months hospitalized due to severe side effects and multiple infections. Overnight my personal and academic worlds collided as my PhD supervisor served as the head of the oncology unit, and some lab colleagues became my treating physicians.
During those long days in the oncology ward, the reality of the disease was inescapable. Some of the other young people on the ward with me didn’t survive. During the worst days of my side effects, there were dark moments when I was afraid it would be the treatment that killed me and not the cancer. It was isolating—I was too ill to see friends or even discuss food. My support network gave me strength. My mother moved closer to care for me and my boyfriend (now husband) stayed by my side throughout those long days. Throughout my treatment, integrative practitioners and local charity volunteers provided small moments of relief. I found acupuncture and reiki helpful and pamper days made me feel a little bit more human.
Recovery was a slow and difficult process. Even after leaving the hospital, it took months to regain my strength and hope that a normal life was possible. Yet, this experience clarified my purpose. When I entered my PhD program, I wasn’t sure what would come next. I thought I might stay in a lab for a bit. But after my own cancer experience, I knew I needed to get as close as possible to drug development if I was going to accelerate less toxic treatments. There had to be something better, better than what I just endured.
There had to be a better way to treat people. I wrapped up my studies and focused on getting hired by a pharmaceutical company.
For the past twenty years, I have worked at Roche and Genentech, where I now lead clinical development for lymphoma. When I evaluate a new medicine, I try to think of the person receiving treatment, and how our breakthrough medicines could offer a better quality of life.
Yet despite great progress, people with blood cancer still face significant treatment challenges. Currently, many regimens rely on intensive chemotherapy that can take a tremendous physical and emotional toll. These treatments also often require referral to academic centers equipped for complex treatment logistics, which can introduce geographic disparities for those who live in rural areas and added strain on patients and care givers.
These challenges can disrupt employment, family responsibilities, and daily life for caregivers and patients. My experience as a scientist and survivor informs every decision I make to champion new approaches that are more tolerable and accessible to solve these issues for patients and their support circles.
The field continues to evolve rapidly, but there are still critical needs to ensure that breakthroughs reach all patients, especially those in community settings where the majority of blood cancer patients receive care. I often look back on my own time as a patient when I see the challenges many blood cancer patients still face today. I remember not just the physical toll of treatment, but how it took over every part of life, months in the hospital, being cut off from friends and family, and wondering if life would ever feel normal again.
That experience shapes how I think about the medicines we develop today. For me, success isn’t just about survival statistics; it’s about whether patients can continue living their lives, staying close to home, maintaining their roles as parents, partners and professionals, and avoid the kind of side effects that once kept me hospitalized for months.
I hope that my story can offer optimism to other young people facing cancer. Despite being told at 21 that my chances of conceiving were slim, the magic of science supported me again. After a long fertility journey, I have three beautiful children—a son and twin daughters. If you are facing cancer and want the option of building your family, my advice is to please talk to your doctor about fertility options.
There is a full, vibrant life waiting for you on the other side of a diagnosis. Throughout my career, I’ve let my curiosity follow the science while remaining anchored in my experience as a young patient in Belfast. My work in blood cancer has been extremely motivating. The pace of innovation, breakthroughs and an incredibly supportive scientific community pave the way to offer more life to patients and caregivers and all that their futures hold.
Young adult voices shape the future
Michelle’s story shows why the voices of young adults with cancer matter so much. Progress isn’t only about new treatments—it’s also about whether care supports real life. Staying connected to school or work. Preserving options for the future. Managing side effects. Feeling seen during a time when so much feels uncertain.
Cancer during adolescence or young adulthood can affect every part of life, often all at once. That lived experience brings critical insight—and it belongs in the conversations shaping care today and tomorrow.
How Blood Cancer United supports AYAs
At Blood Cancer United, it's important to us to meet the unique needs of adolescents and young adults facing blood cancer. That includes advocating for research that looks beyond survival alone, supporting access to clinical trials and emerging treatments, and pushing for care that reflects the realities of young adult life—including fertility, mental health, and long‑term quality of life. We also work to elevate real patient experiences so they help shape the future of cancer care.
We’re grateful to Michelle for sharing her story—from student, to patient, to scientist helping guide the development of new therapies. Her experience reflects what we hear from so many young people: that lived experience brings critical insight, and that better care is possible when patients’ voices are part of the conversation.
If you’re a young adult navigating cancer—or someone who cares about improving how young people are treated—know we have resources created for and available to you at no cost, including:
- A Survivorship Workbook for Young Adults to help you collect and manage all the important information you need throughout diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, and long-term management of a blood cancer
- Guidance on making blood cancer treatment decisions as a young adult
- Information on fertility and reproductive health
- Access to free, personalized support from highly trained oncology social workers and nurses
