There's this guy. His name is Matthew Zachary. He's a cancer survivor, a motivational speaker, a concert pianist, and the founder of a resource portal for young adults surviving cancer.

Steps for Living, Inc. -- also known as I'm too young for this -- was created by Zachary because he wants us all to know there are awesome cancer support services out there for adolescents and young adults. He means really awesome opportunities -- like spa retreats, online forums and blogs, social networking, camping excursions, fertility education, peer counseling, financial scholarships, and more.

You may be too young for cancer, but you are not alone, says Zachary whose mantra is Get Busy Living. And this is exactly what he is doing, despite challenges and setbacks in his own cancer recovery.

Think about this, an e-mail written by Zachary for those near and dear to his heart:

I am writing to share that I have suddenly gone deaf in my left ear. The condition is called Sudden Sensory Neural Hearing Loss.

After consulting with the country's best hearing experts as well as my oncologist, it has been determined that this is unequivocally a latent, long-term side effect of my post-operative cancer treatments from eleven years ago. Evidently, the excessive radiation dosages to the left hemisphere of my brain have caused irreparable neurological damage to my cochlea, which has ceased functioning.

There may be options (cochlear implants) but I will not know more for several weeks. As you can imagine, this is a devastating blow to my personal life and music career, especially since I remember fighting so hard to regain dexterity and muscle control in my left hand when it ceased functioning prior to my initial diagnosis in 1995.

That said, it has only reinvigorated me to stay the course and continue to advocate on behalf of the more than 500,000 young adults living with, through and beyond cancer each and every year. Now more than ever, I stress the importance of recognizing that remission is not a cure and that public awareness and adequate funding for adolescent and young adult cancer survivorship programming is tantamount to that of cancer research.

This is what it means to be a cancer survivor.

To read more about Zachary's powerful journey, click here for an unbelievably moving essay -- titled The Cost Of Living: No Cure For Cancer -- written by this unbelievably grounded guy.

I'm Too Young For This! (i2y) is a recently launched portal for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors. Featured i2y resources and support services include survivor spa retreats, online forums and blogs, social networking, camping excursions, fertility education, peer counseling, and financial scholarships.

"The i2y website is primed to become a premiere online resource for AYAs with cancer by eliminating the stress and hassle of navigating through thousands of search engine results," said Matthew Zachary, founder and executive director of Steps For Living and an 11-year young adult survivor of pediatric brain cancer. "Our goal to make I'm Too Young For This! the first place adolescents and young adults with cancer think of to go when in search of credible, targeted support programs, tools and services."

"This website is just what the doctor ordered. Now, with the click of a mouse, they can instantly connect with a universe of others just like them." Doug Ulman, Chief Mission Officer for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and a 10-year young adult survivor says, "We are pleased that Steps For Living is dedicated to making a difference in cancer advocacy for this community."

To raise awareness for the i2y organization, the AYA Steps For Living musician/cancer survivors have released a 21-track benefit CD featuring their original songs and music. You can listen to the playlist here. Included in the album is an i2y online resource guide.

The tagline of i2y reads: Got Cancer? Under 40? Sucks, huh? Get Busy Living. Indeed, if you are between the ages of 15-39, i2y is a destination meant just for you. If you are a caregiver or friend of a teen or young adult who is facing the challenges of cancer survivorship, let them know about i2y. This is a phenomenal group of artists, musicians, writers and photographers who, as young adult cancer survivors, got busy living. Visit I'm Too Young For This! to learn more.

The Child Cancer Foundation -- a non-profit charity in New Zealand providing practical and emotional assistance for children with cancer, their families, and their health care providers -- operates solely from the support of its 22 branches scattered across the country. The foundation receives no funding from government agencies or other cancer support groups. So any bit of support they receive is a big deal.

Lately, the Child Cancer Foundation is making a big deal about Hyundai, the fast-growing vehicle brand supplying a range of SUVs and cars to the foundation. Five Hyundai Tucson SUVs and three Hyundai Getz will be donated, and the head of the Foundation will drive a Hyundai Sonata V6 sedan.

The Child Cancer Foundation provides support in the form of financial assistance, meals, transportation, accommodation, support groups, education scholarships, and access to holiday homes. It also contributes financially to research initiatives. The donated vehicles will help tremendously in the delivery of this support.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation College Scholarship Award Program offers college scholarships of up to $10,000 a year over a four-year period to students who have lost a parent to breast cancer.

To qualify, the applicant must be a high school senior or graduate -- aged 25 or less -- and reside within the service area of an established Komen Affiliate that is participating in the Scholarship Program.

The application deadline is November 1st. To learn more and download an application online, visit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation College Scholarship Award Program webpage.

Many college students are beginning their pursuits in higher education with private scholarships. Each year, millions of dollars are awarded to college students as a result of private gifts that flow from alumni and donors. These scholarships help universities compete for the best and brightest students. And the beneficiaries of these scholarships are many. Universities get what they want -- good students. Students get what they want -- funding for college. And the community gets something too.

Lauren Mareno, a senior at Kent State University and recipient of a Reach for Excellence scholarship, has been reaching into her community and is leading campus-wide efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society -- an experience that has exposed her to new career opportunities. While she pursues a psychology degree and a certificate in non-profit management, Mareno -- who lost her own father to cancer at the beginning of her freshmen year -- serves as co-chair for the Relay for Life event. In April she saw the fruits of her labor blossom as more than 60 student groups participated in the 24-hour campus walkathon that raised more than $75,000.

Mareno sees more community outreach in her future and she is eager to continue raising funds for causes that are meaningful to her -- and to so many others too.