Ellicott City, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/09/2015 -- Each year, an estimated 15,780 children between the age of birth and 19 years are diagnosed with cancer, according to American Childhood Cancer Association.

For many young patients and their families, navigating the world after receiving a cancer diagnosis can seem impossible, especially with the uncertainty of survival. Two-time cancer survivor Clarissa Schilstra knows the experience well, and was inspired to write Riding the Cancer Coaster: Survival Guide for Teens and Young Adults.

The new 81-page book is part memoir, part self-help book and an invaluable resource to adolescents with cancer, and their families.

Drawing upon her own experience, with only a 40% chance of survival upon relapse, Schilstra discusses the emotional impact a cancer diagnosis can cause, especially during the delicate teenage and young adult years when youth are testing their independence.

The wisdom she shares includes how to deal with the physical and psychological effects of cancer treatment, the critical importance of medication compliance, how to deal with friends and family, and more. With each topic, Schilstra includes an account of what she went through, and what she learned. In each scenario, she recommends methods to stay positive despite the pain, isolation, physical impact and emotional trauma of cancer treatment and survivorship.

Throughout it all, her advice is poignant, authentic, and inspiring.

Riding the Cancer Coaster: Survival Guide for Teens and Young Adult has been the recipient of accolades from several healthcare professionals, including Ronald R. Peterson, President of The John Hopkins Hospital and Health System. "With frankness, grace and poignancy, she shows us all – patients, parents, siblings, friends, and caregivers – how to cope with one of life's most difficult challenges," Peterson says.

About Clarissa Schilstra
A two-time cancer survivor, Clarissa was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia for the first time when she was two and a half years old. She went through two and a half years of chemotherapy and survived.

She led a happy and healthy life until June of 2007, when her cancer relapsed. So, she went through another two and a half years of chemotherapy, this time accompanied by radiation. She is now twenty-one years old and a senior at Duke University.

Her passion is helping others cope with the ups and downs of life during and after cancer treatment. It is her goal to become a clinical psychologist after she graduates from Duke, and she would like to help improve the psychological care available to adolescents and young adults who have serious illnesses during and after treatment.

You can read more about Clarissa on her website and blog at www.teen-cancer.com.

Riding the Cancer Coaster: Survival Guide for Teens and Young Adults is now available in paperback from Amazon, and is a comprehensive guide on cancer for those who most need it.

Contact: Clarissa Schilstra
Address: 2545 Ashbrook Drive Ellicott City, MD 21042
Email: Clarissa.schilstra@duke.edu
Telephone: (410) 446-3636
Website: http://Teen-Cancer.com