Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month
April 2024
First job, first date, first day at college. Being a teenager or young adult is full of firsts. An opportunity to forge your own path, to make your own decisions and figure out who you really are. But then cancer comes along.
Cancer takes a lot. But when you’re a teenager or young adult, it can feel like it takes your voice and your independence too. Just being heard and feeling empowered can feel like hard work.
This Teenager and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month, let’s raise voices and share experiences. Let’s empower those who deserve to feel heard. Together with cancer charities across the UK, we’ll be handing over the mic to teenagers and young people this April.
Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month
April 2024
First job, first date, first day at college. Being a teenager or young adult is full of firsts. An opportunity to forge your own path, to make your own decisions and figure out who you really are. But then cancer comes along.
Cancer takes a lot. But when you’re a teenager or young adult, it can feel like it takes your voice and your independence too. Just being heard and feeling empowered can feel like hard work.
This Teenager and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month, let’s raise voices and share experiences. Let’s empower those who deserve to feel heard. Together with cancer charities across the UK, we’ll be handing over the mic to teenagers and young people this April.
Let's amplify the voices of young people
First job, first date, first day at college. Being a teenager or young adult is full of firsts. It’s difficult and emotional. But it’s exciting. An opportunity to forge your own path, to make your own decisions and figure out who you really are.
But then cancer comes along.
Memorable moments and new opportunities disappear. Road trips are replaced with repetitive hospital visits. Parties make way to isolation. Staying up late talking with friends turns into conversations with doctors that no young person should face. Lonely. Left behind. Powerless.
Cancer takes a lot. But when you’re a teenager or young adult, it can feel like it takes your voice and your independence too.
Young Lives vs Cancer Social Workers are there for every young person with cancer, to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time. To make sure voices are heard, and unique needs are understood. To make sure every young person still feels empowered; independent.
Specialist social workers who understand what young people with cancer are really going through. A familiar voice when they’re surrounded by strangers. Someone who can make sure they have the space to feel in control. To feel seen and heard.
But it’s time that teenagers and young adults with cancer are seen and heard by everybody.
Help us amplify their voices by following us on social media this Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
Read the stories and experiences of young people with cancer
Farid’s story: Studying and socialising became hospital visits
“Your life is pretty much on hold – no matter how determined you are, you don’t have the energy to do 95% of what you did before, you’re at risk because your immune system is really low so if even if you could do it, would you want to? My social activities with my friends took a sharp decline, I couldn’t do things that I’d usually do.”
Amy’s story: My new life was turned upside down by cancer
“It’s been so frustrating because this came at a time when everything felt like it was going in the right direction. I guess everything was just going a bit too smoothly. I was advised not to work but I’m self-employed and it’s been hard trying to claim any money from universal credit or employment support allowance. I’ve had to move out and live with my Mum and Dad again.”