Hidden costs
The costs of cancer go far beyond just the financial. There’s the costs to children, young people and families education, employment, mental health, as well as the stress of not getting the support you deserve. The costs you can’t see on a bank statement.
No one should be shut out of the support they need, experience poor mental health, or not get the opportunities they deserve because of cancer.
We’ve had some great successes already, all thanks to your support. But so much more needs to be done so everyone gets the right support they need for the life changing impacts cancer can bring. We won’t stop campaigning until we see the change we need.
If you want to know more about any of our campaigns, including how you can support them or get involved, we’d love to hear from you: campaigns@younglivesvscancer.org.uk
We know cancer costs. And the cost on mental health is no exception. Going through cancer can be gruelling, lonely and deeply personal.
Our Hidden Costs report reveals the impact on young people’s mental health. It shows young people with cancer are more likely to experience mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
79% of young people in our research felt cancer had a serious impact on their emotional wellbeing. And yet 41% of young people did not access or experienced barriers to seeking support.
We’re campaigning to make sure young people’s mental and physical health needs get treated with equal importance. We’re calling for:
- Access to evidence-based mental health interventions for young cancer patients as part of the treatment pathway if needed. And that it’s provided consistently across the UK
- All UK hospitals to have strong, free Wi-Fi access so that young cancer patients can maintain the connections important to them and access online support and education.
- Further research into how young cancer patients access services locally, and the emotional and mental health impact of a cancer diagnosis on the wider family, particularly siblings
Having cancer as a child or young person can turn your whole world upside down. It disrupts the things you’d normally do, like being at school, college, university or work. We want to make sure children, young people and families can still progress through education and employment despite the challenges cancer brings.
We want to know how cancer might have affected children and young people in education. Whether that is not being able to:
- Sit exams
- Be in your classroom or lecture hall (physically or virtually)
- Be considered for “special” or “exceptional” circumstances
Let us know about your experiences by contacting us: campaigns@younglivesvscancer.org.uk.
Our Hard Work report reveals the impact cancer has on employment for young people with cancer and parents of children with cancer. Too often they face unfair treatment at work or aren’t properly supported.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. That’s why we’re calling for:
- More support from the government for employees through reforms to Statutory Sick Pay and better support for unpaid carers
- Better access to reasonable adjustments and flexible working
- Improved awareness of the ongoing impact of childhood, teenage and young adult cancer to support young cancer patients returning to work
- More support from the government for employers and understanding how effective current support schemes are
If you’re an employer supporting someone with cancer, we’ve put together two toolkits to help.
We want to hear about issues and experiences with training and employment following a cancer diagnosis. If you or your family have insights to share, please send us an email at campaigns@younglivesvscancer.org.uk
Young people and their families told us that getting timely access to the benefits they’re entitled to should be a priority. Benefits like Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP), and their equivalents in Scotland, are often a lifeline for families to help with increasing costs and falling incomes.
But young people and families tell us the application and assessment process can be stressful and difficult. They often have a long wait before they can apply for the support, and many wait even longer for their applications to be processed and payments made.
We’re calling on governments across the UK to:
- Improve support by making changes to the way benefits are accessed
- Enable access to financial support from the point of diagnosis
- Reduce the waiting time for receiving support
Together these changes will help reduce the impact of rising costs that immediately come with a cancer diagnosis.