By Stephanie Harvey
Managing Editor

Everyone knows what cancer is, but only people who have experienced it firsthand know how cancer truly affects people’s lives. Most students do not understand the personal impact of the disease, but there are students within Neshaminy who have to deal with cancer every day. To help these students, and to unite them, science teacher, Lisa Krieger, started a support group called Straight Talk About Cancer (STAC).

Straight Talk About Cancer meets once a month during school. The group is available to all students whose lives are affected by cancer, whether they have the disease themselves or they know someone with it. The group provides a comfortable environment so that students can discuss their experiences with other people who understand what they are going through.

“Our overall goal is to offer a safe and comfortable place where students can express their feelings
in a confidential setting, gain information about cancer and build relationships with others experiencing similar situations,” said Krieger.

Most importantly, the group shows students that they are not alone in their struggle. Sometimes, students feel like no one else knows what they are going through, that they are the only ones experiencing problems like theirs.

Krieger said, “Cancer is not something we talk about every day in class or in the hallways, so a student can feel isolated without the support of others.”

STAC provides a welcome relief for students like these, because within the group are other individuals who understand their struggle with cancer.