Our story

Where it all began

We all have a past. Ours is a tale of two halves – two charities founded in the pursuit of one common cause: to ease the many hardships faced by children and young people with cancer and their families, to right the injustice of it all.

In 2005 two became one, united by our common purpose, passion and pride.

You can swot up more on our history here.

So who are we now?

Fast forward to 2021, and we are Young Lives vs Cancer – new name, but same purpose, same passion, same pride. Hi!

Every child and young person dreams about their future. Every parent wants the best for their child. But having cancer threatens all that. It means they often face huge inequalities their whole lives. They deserve more.

We believe children and young people with cancer and their families should have the same opportunities as everyone else.

And we know that specialist, high quality and empowering support during cancer treatment has a lasting impact, creating a better future for children and young people.

So that’s what we do. We know everyone’s different, so we work hard to make sure each family has what they need to get through cancer. We also know there are other charities out there doing great things for young cancer patients, so we work alongside them to reduce the impact of cancer and shrink the opportunity gap.

And if we think families aren’t being supported by the whole system, we’re not afraid to raise their voices or shout on their behalf.

We help families find the strength to face everything cancer throws at them.

We’re there for every family who needs us.

We’ll face it all, together.