“For a long time, I denied that I had cancer. Even though I was at the Oncology department, sitting in front of the hematologist who told me that it was cancer, for me it was just, ‘okay, so what’s the next step?’ Because it was such a heavy word, it carried a difficult weight on my shoulders, and I didn’t want to let it affect me. I even used to say that I didn’t have cancer, that I was just getting an IV every two weeks, and that it would be fine, it would be enough,” confessed Bia Poenaru, a 22-year-old young woman diagnosed two years ago with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
Alongside Bia, nine other young people from Romania, aged between 17 and 34, living with illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, or mast cell activation syndrome, all participants in the #IAmMyAdvocate project, had the courage to speak publicly about their conditions in a campaign initiated by themselves and carried out on social media. The project, launched in 2022 by the Yuppi Camp Association, officially concluded on Tuesday, March 26, in Cluj-Napoca.
The videos featured a series of emotional testimonies in which the young people spoke honestly and openly about the moment they received their diagnosis and the reactions of those around them. “Many times, people would say, ‘You don’t look like you have anything,’ but, like any chronic illness, most of the pain is on the inside,” confessed Andreea Popescu, 34, who lives with a rare disease ─ mast cell activation syndrome. Amalia Balint, a young Yuppi Camp participant diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, shared how, at first, it was very hard for her to talk about her illness, but “when I realized that there were other kids like me, I opened up. I can answer any question about my disease, and I would actually be happy to help other kids.”
It was just as difficult for Robert Dovleac, a Yuppi Camp volunteer, to talk about epilepsy, because “I didn’t want to be judged or labeled.”
Dorottya Képíró, a Yuppi Camp volunteer recently diagnosed with diabetes, spoke about the challenge of realizing that her illness would stay with her for life: “As I received more information about the disease, about how I should manage it, I got even more scared: that from now on I would have to take into account all these things that influence my life and my illness. And I have to handle it on my own.”
The young participants also shared how they found resources to overcome the fear and anxiety caused by their illness. Szőcs Apor, a 17-year-old with diabetes, said he found motivation in sports “because that’s one of the secrets to a healthy life — and, I’ll tell you a secret, to good blood sugar too.” Răzvan Rusu, who was diagnosed with leukemia and is now in remission, a former camper and current Yuppi volunteer, spoke about the importance of a supportive community: “After the Yuppi Camp, I started to be much more open, to accept what happened. That’s because I met other kids who were just like me — we talked, we became friends.”
And Andreea Popescu emphasized the same thing: “Surround yourselves with people who love you, who lift you up, who believe in you, who see much more in you than a diagnosis.”
All the videos created by the young participants can be accessed and watched here: https://bit.ly/IAmMyAdvocate.
The #IAmMyAdvocate campaign is part of a broader project with the same name, launched in the spring of 2022, aiming to encourage young people with chronic illnesses to make their voices heard and to advocate for their rights. “We wanted to create a community where current and former participants of Yuppi Camp’s experiential therapy camps can share the challenges they face due to their illnesses, support one another in overcoming difficult moments, build self-confidence, feel accepted and understood, and be encouraged to raise their voices. A place where they can find courage,” explained Zsuzsa László, president of the Association, during the press event held in Cluj-Napoca marking the end of the project.
“Right after the young people posted their stories on social media, we asked them how this experience felt, and Robert, one of our volunteers who has epilepsy, wrote to us: ‘It was the biggest move. I was already at the stage where I could talk about it, but I still had some hesitation. This was the push I needed.’ Feedback like this proves that the project we dreamed of and implemented over the past two years has truly had a positive impact on these young people’s lives,” shared Zsuzsa.
Among the activities of the #IAmMyAdvocate project were the creation of two online support communities on Facebook, now including over 300 young people. With guidance from the project’s partner, PONT Group, the youth designed and implemented 10 community projects. 30 pairs – each formed of a young adult with a chronic illness and a minor living with a chronic condition – met regularly for mentorship sessions, to talk and support each other. 260 teachers from 17 schools took part in awareness courses about the challenges faced by chronically ill students, provided by project partner Spektrum Educational Center. 50 young people learned how to design and run an advocacy campaign, and 100 young people participated in the free Yuppi Camp therapeutic camps. Additionally, three conferences were organized – in Cluj-Napoca, Miercurea Ciuc, and online – for professionals in education, social work, youth services, and counseling.
In total, the project reached 886 beneficiaries from across Romania.
The #IAmMyAdvocate project is implemented by the Yuppi Camp Association in partnership with PONT Group and Spektrum Educational Center, with financial support from the Active Citizens Fund Romania, a program funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014–2021.
About the Active Citizens Fund Romania Program
The Active Citizens Fund Romania program is funded through the EEA Grants 2014–2021. The general objective of the Grants is to reduce economic and social disparities and to strengthen bilateral relations between the 15 beneficiary states and the donor states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway). The program is managed by a consortium composed of the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, the Partnership Foundation, the Resource Center for Roma Communities, the PACT Foundation, and Frivillighet Norge, acting as the Fund Operator designated by the Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) of the EEA and Norway Grants.
The Active Citizens Fund Romania aims to strengthen civil society and active citizenship and increase the capacity of vulnerable groups. With a total allocation of €46,000,000, the program seeks to support the long-term development, sustainability, and capacity of the civil society sector, enhancing its role in promoting democratic participation, active citizenship, and human rights, while also strengthening bilateral relations with the donor states Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
For more information about the Active Citizens Fund Romania, please visit www.activecitizensfund.ro.
For more information about the EEA and Norway Grants, please visit www.eeagrants.ro.