YACS Night at the Mavs
Maritza Figy
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On Friday, February 21st, Dallas YACS attended the Dallas Mavericks vs New Orleans Pelicans game at the American Airlines Center. This was the 4th annual Mavericks game that we have attended (2025, 2024, 2023, and 2019). Mavs won 111-103! We had great seats in a private section, with views of the entire court behind the Mavs team bench. I decided to attend because Dallas YACS social events are always a blast! I also wanted to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in a few months, and this was a great opportunity.
There were about 50 of us at the game, including our family and friends. It felt intimate because we had space for ourselves to chat with our friends as well as meet new people. We also had delicious food like BBQ sliders, mac and cheese, cookies, veggies with ranch, and popcorn.
The Mavs generously donated some gifts, including hats, notebooks, and signed Dwight Powell #7 posters! Thanks Mavericks, this was an awesome surprise!
A videographer with UT Southwestern was there to capture photos and interview group members on their experience at the event and on being part of Dallas YACS. I was interviewed and had the opportunity to reflect on my time with this group. I have been part of Dallas YACS for almost 6 years now, since the group began in summer of 2019. Recently I haven’t attended as many events as I used to, but this game was a great reminder of how much I love this group of wonderful people. It is always great to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and be immersed in the special energy we create when we are together.
The Mavs games are always a huge success, this year was no exception. I can’t wait for next year’s game! GO MAVS!
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Nathan's Joke:
What insect is the sneakiest?
*Answer is at the end
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Ramsey Breaux
Mes Amis, c'est saison du Mardi Gras!
Il est temps de fete.
Comme mon peuple aime le dire, Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!
Translation:
My friends, it is Mardi Gras season.
It is a time for celebration.
As my people like to say, Let the good times roll!
Dear YACs, down in Louisiana, Mardi Gras is more than just one great big party and it is more than just one day, that is Fat Tuesday. For us it's a season of celebrations. It is a season of celebrating life... with food, music, and community. These celebrations are so inherent in our culture that it became a cultural attitude, we like to call joie de vivre- joy of life. These festivities are our last before the season of Lent. Mardi Gras day, Fat Tuesday marks the last day before this new period of 40 days of fasting, reflection, and sacrifice. Some of the ways we choose to celebrate the season are by gathering for crawfish boils, Mardi Gras parades and balls, music festivals, and King Cake.
At Tuesday's group, I was so excited for the many of you who tried King cake for the first time this week. You may look at it and just see a large donut shaped pastry with purple, green, and gold icing, but behind the dough there is meaning. To Louisianians, the cake is a symbol of this celebratory time of feasting and gathering. The colors purple, green, and gold represent justice, faith, and power. The name and shape of the cake comes from the Biblical story of the wise men who brought gifts to the child Jesus Christ.
As the 2025 Mardi Gras season comes to an end on March 4th, Fat Tuesday, I would like you all to take a moment this weekend or on that day to embrace some of the joy of life the day represents for us Cajuns. Find something in your life to celebrate whether it's a vacation, a new job, your favorite food, or a new pet.
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Share your Slice of Life with us! Send photos and write-ups to
Alex Huffman.
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Sunday, March 23rd, 10am-12pm- Equine therapy at Equest. We will explore the topic of self-care as we groom and tack the horses before a relaxing trail ride.
Tuesday, March 25th, 6pm- YACS Yoga at the Cancer Center.
Tuesday, March 25th, 7pm- Hybrid support group meeting. We will have virtual access as well as an in-person attendance option.
Save the Date:
Thursday, April 4th, 6-8pm- YACS Night at the Arboretum. Celebrate AYA Cancer Awareness Week with us in a beautifully healing space.
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Tia wants to be sure to celebrate you during your birthday month! As a little incentive for those who submit your birthdays to our directory, we will enter you in a drawing for a prize that month!! Tia will draw the winner the first of the month. She will also send a birthday note your way on your special day!
Please use the Take Survey link below to share your birthday date with Tia.
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I'm taking a different spin on meditation and music this month to talk about a new song on my On Repeat Spotify playlist- Doechii’s “Denial is a River”! With the help of her inner monologue, Doechii lyrically describes the rollercoaster of emotions that anxiety can take us through, toggling between our conscious and subconscious and causing our heart to beat with a sporadic hip hop. She describes disconnecting with her body and “moving too fast, no time to process.” Doechii tries listing off her coping skills and eventually admits her self-worth is at an all-time low at the same time her career is at an all-time high. She invites us in to hear the nitty gritty, raw, real, and unfiltered, and the result is an artistic mindful masterpiece. By breathlessly letting go of what she’s holding, she gets out of her own way and actually makes space for healing.
We can lean into Doechii’s message and opt to be vulnerable rather than to try to wrap our emotions up in a neat package- with honest vulnerability comes trust in our ability to manage difficult feelings. Doechii helps us see that ambiguity is a given in life, and it can be devastating and exhilarating often at the same time!
Check out Doechii’s Tiny Desk Concert at https://www.youtube.com/live/TDgFBHPAPMQ?si=oLAmQ7nbju3f5J4d. Denial is a River starts at minute 6:45.
| If you want to try the ritual Doechii does in real life before she starts a creative endeavor, start by taking 3-breaths and extending the exhale. As you repeat this, imagine pulling out any negative self-thoughts, negative energy, or anything built up in your chest, and release them. I won’t be mad if you add, “Uh, uh, uh, uh, ah, whoo-sah!” | | |
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Sam's Writing Prompt
Think about a feeling that’s been showing up for you lately—fear, anger, hope, exhaustion, anything. Give it a name, like you would a person. Now, imagine having a conversation with it. What would it say about why it’s here? What would you want it to know? Explore how this dialogue might shift the way you experience that feeling.
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Dr. Samantha (Sam) Dean is a metastatic melanoma survivor and former patient at UTSW. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a BA in English in 2012 and went straight into working with college students facing academic dismissal. She used her writing & speaking skills to mentor these students in asking questions, composing professional emails, using resources available to them, etc. Sam went on to receive an M.B.A. with a focus on both Sustainable Business and Marketing, then a Ph.D. in Public Policy & Political Economy. While working her way up in academia and getting all these fancy letters behind her name, Sam was doing freelance writing work. It wasn’t until after her melanoma diagnosis in 2020 that she decided to use all these skills to cope. She started freeform writing about what it felt like trying to survive as a 30-year-old woman in a male-dominated world while literally trying to survive. Since going into remission in May 2021, Sam has quit working full-time in academic administration. She now owns a full-service marketing agency, has authored a guided journal for cancer patients and survivors, published a children’s book, and teaches cancer survivors and teenagers how to express themselves through writing, whether via poetry, journaling, or creating a bomb resume to switch careers. When Sam isn’t working (which is hard to imagine because she has too many jobs), you can find her snuggling with her dogs, spending time with her nephews, or reading what she will undoubtedly claim is the next Great American Novel. | |
Cooking with Chris!
Corned Beef
Happy March, YACS! This month, I'm featuring a traditional Irish dish for Saint Patty's Day, corned beef!
Don't be intimidated guys! If you have a crock pot, it will do 90% of the work for you. Trust me, I'm a chef! :)
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Ingredients:
- 4-6 lbs. of Brisket - you can use a small portion that's already been cut and cleaned. They usually have it available in the meat department. If you're feeling overzealous or in for a challenge, you can trim and clean the brisket yourself. FYI, you're going to trim a lot of fat.
- 4 carrots, cut into medium-sized dices
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into medium-sized dices
- 4 cups, beef broth
- 1/2 head shredded cabbage
- 8 small red potatoes
- Pickling spices, 2 Tablespoons, coriander seeds, 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons peppercorns, 1 teaspoon anise seeds)
- 4 large bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
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Directions:
- Place brisket into the slow cooker.
- Add beef broth, pickling spices, and seasonings.
- Slow cook for 9 hours.
- Around 5 hours, add your vegetable mix.
- With an hour left to cook, add your cabbage.
Serve with warm rolls and enjoy!
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March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and it is a great time to tell you more about our resident chef, Chris Lopez. Chris is a stage 3b colon cancer survivor who was diagnosed in December 2019 with a 10cm grapefruit-sized tumor. Our YACS program was just in its infancy, and Chris was surprised to find a group with other survivors around his age.
Chris says, "It was a lot to take in at first. I felt scared and nervous, and I kind of wanted to leave the first meeting. I was barely coping with the realization I had cancer, and I wasn't ready to publicly voice it in a group. Butt then (pun intended), I met Roberto, Alex, Katy, Jay, Candace, Maritza, Brandie, and Sam (RIP). Had I not met Roberto, I would not be writing this bio to tell my story. Roberto was also a survivor with a similar cancer diagnosis, and after an hour of hanging out and talking with him and other survivors, I got out of my comfort zone and shared a bit. It felt great to know that there were other patients and survivors who had been in my shoes and going through some of the same treatments and emotions as me. Over time, I attended group meetings by Zoom and in-person, and I completed 16 rounds of Oxaliplatin and Fluorouracil followed by 30 rounds of targeted radiation and Xeloda. I also had an ileostomy loop surgery and reversal surgery, which means I won't be able to eat ice cream, cheese, Olive Garden, or any of the greasy foods I used to- LOL! I'm proud to report I am NED [No Evidence of Disease] as of 2021, and I owe it all to my faith, my medical team, and this amazing group of YACS. We have made some amazing, unforgettable memories. We've gained new friends and also some lost some along the way. I love guys!"
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