Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month
We're taking part in Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month in April to shine a light on cancer in young people.
Along with 19 other charities supporting young people with cancer, we're helping to raise awareness, share stories and push for better support for teenagers and young people.
Life as a teenager should be full of possibilities, milestones and new beginnings.
Education
Hospital stays, treatment, side effects and fatigue make attending school, college or university difficult. Many struggle to keep up with coursework, miss exams, or have to delay their education altogether.
Body image
Changes caused by treatment such as hair loss, weight fluctuations and scarring can affect confidence and self-esteem, especially for teenagers who are still figuring out their own identity.
Relationships
Friendships and relationships can be affected by long hospital stays. Many young people feel isolated, struggle with their confidence or find that their relationships change because of cancer and treatment.
Mental health
All these factors, along with uncertainty about the future, can bring stress and mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.
Alisha was diagnosed with cancer when she was 12 years old. She spent two years receiving treatment at Leeds Children’s Hospital including surgery, radiotherapy and seven different types of chemotherapy.
Alisha says, “When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2022, everything changed. I had two years of treatments and procedures and spent most days in hospital. It affected my mental health a lot, I felt very depressed. It was not a normal start to my teenage years. I spent so much time in hospital that I didn’t have many conversations with my friends, and any time we did speak it was about the cancer and the treatment. It felt like I only really spoke to the doctors.
I think Teenage and Young Cancer Awareness Month is so important. There are so many people out there who just don’t understand the impact cancer has. We’re a year in the clear now and it’s still affecting all of us, we’re not even the slightest bit back to normal.”
Our support
This month is about shining a light on the challenges young people face - and at Candlelighters, we’re here to make sure they have the support they need every step of the way. All our support is available to families with a teenager affected by cancer (from support groups to respite holidays) but some of our services are particularly relevant to teenagers:
- We employ a Youth Activity Coordinator who works on the teenage ward at the hospital, ensuring young people can take part in fun, engaging activities that support their mental and emotional wellbeing, and help them make connections with others on the same journey.
- We offer talking therapies for young people with our specialist therapists, who help teenagers to express and understand their feelings and develop coping strategies to move forwards.
- We organise family events throughout the year. For young people, this can be a chance to meet others their age, share experiences, build friendships, and create positive memories outside of treatment.
"The Candlelighters Fun Days are really special - like Sherburn Aero Day. Alisha had been struggling a lot and hadn’t really left her bedroom, she didn’t want to come but I persuaded her. She ended up going up in a plane for the first time and rode in sports cars - I have never seen her smile so much! It really was a point where she started coming out of her shell again and going out more.” - Lisa, mum to Alisha
Your donations enable young people like Alisha and their families to receive the support they need during such a difficult time.
- £14 could fund an hour of a family support workers time, who work 1-1 with young people to provide emotional and practical support.
- £31 could fund one week of activities for young people staying on the teenage cancer ward to reduce boredom and isolation.
- £75 could fund a talking therapy session for one teenager like Alisha going through treatment, providing specialist mental health support.
“Organisations like Candlelighters, and others taking part in Teenage and Young Cancer Awareness Month, make such a big difference. There’s so many children and young people experiencing cancer and a lot of us would be lost without these charities - I don’t think we wouldn’t have survived without . They’ve helped me in a lot of ways, both during the cancer stages and now that I’m in remission. On the wards, they gave me hope. Even when I was at my worst and most depressed, they never gave up on me. If I hadn’t had them through treatment, I’d have been in a lot worse state." - Alisha
