Teenage Cancer Trust

You can never be too young to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Amy was diagnosed when she was 24 years old after finding a lump while getting dressed. For #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, she shares what it was like to experience cancer as a young woman. Breast cancer can happen to anyone, so knowing your normal and checking your chest for the common signs can save your life. Together with CoppaFeel!, we say check your chest, get to know your body and never stop advocating for your health 💗💙 Signs of breast cancer may include: 👉 Skin changes such as puckering or dimpling 👉 Unusual swelling in your armpit or around your collarbone 👉 Unusual lumps and thickening 👉 Liquid coming from your nipple  👉 Nipple is pulled inwards or changes direction 👉 A sudden, unusual change in size or shape 👉 A rash or crusting on or around the nipple 👉 Constant, unusual pain in your breast or pec, or armpit If you notice any of these, you should speak to your GP. For more information about breast cancer, make sure to check out CoppaFeel! And to find out more about the most common signs of cancer in young people, head to our website ➡️https://lnkd.in/edc2kZ8e #BreastCancer #Cancer #CancerAwareness #CancerSupport

P&O Cruises are celebrating an incredible milestone – £1 million raised for Teenage Cancer Trust 🎉 For the past 10 years, the dedication of P&O Cruises colleagues & guests have helped ensure that young people facing cancer receive the specialist care and support they need, not just in Southampton, but across the UK. To mark the occasion, Carnival UK (P&O Cruises & Cunard) & P&O Cruises President Paul Ludlow, visited our Southampton unit, where he saw first-hand how this partnership is helping to transform the lives of young people with cancer. Paul Ludlow shares: “I felt very privileged to be able to see the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at Southampton General Hospital last week. Thanks to the generosity of our guests and colleagues we have raised an incredible £1million which is a very fitting way to celebrate ten years of this partnership. I hope that our fundraising activities on ship and shore continue to support the vital specialist care and facilities provided by this wonderful charity to young people when they need it most." We are so grateful for this ongoing partnership and the life-changing difference it makes for young people every day.💙 #Fundraising #CharitySupport #Cancer #CancerSupport

You only get one chance at being young, and those years shape the person you become. So, when cancer threatens to derail everything, young people need a different kind of care to get them through it.   That’s why Omaze UK have partnered with us at Teenage Cancer Trust through the New Forest House Draw so young people with cancer have the dedicated support they need.   Thank you to everyone who entered and huge congratulations to Richard for winning🎉 Every entry makes a difference, helping us to fund specialist nurses that provide sensitive, individualised care to young people when they need it most.   Jules Worrall, Interim Chief Executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, said:   “This generous support will help to fund our incredible nurses, who support around 7,000 young people with cancer each year through the toughest times of their lives.   A huge thank you to Omaze and their community for their unwavering support of our work.” 💙   #Cancer #CancerSupport #Omaze #TeenageCancerTrust

“I spoke to a psychologist after I finished treatment, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. If you don’t mention your problems, then they just stay with you and they get worse.” George was diagnosed with testicular cancer aged just 17. For #WorldMentalHealthDay, he shares how cancer affected his mental health, and the support that helped him through treatment and beyond. “My mental health was impacted during treatment. The diagnosis was such a shock, and it messed with my head a little bit, and the treatment was grueling. Things would have been so different without being able to talk to Niamh and Rebecca, my Youth Support Coordinators. “Niamh, Teenage Cancer Trust’s Youth Support Coordinator at the time, came in to see me and to introduce herself. She would host lots of different activities with other young people on the unit who were being treated. I was often too poorly and tired to take part, but Niamh would always come in and check how I was feeling and whether I felt up to joining in. If I didn’t, then she’d just bring the activity to me so that I could do it in my bed when I felt up to it. “I don’t think I would have been ready to get psychological help during treatment. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, and my life was full of hospital appointments and chemo, so I didn’t have time to dwell on it. It hit me big time when the treatment finished as I had more time to process it. I talked to the psychologist about how treatment impacted me, the aftermath of treatment and what the future will be like. Cancer will always be in my life, but the worst times are over.” We’re here to help young people like George get through everything cancer throws at them, from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. Our nurses and Youth Support Coordinators are specially trained to support young people with the mental health impact of cancer 💙 For more information on how cancer can affect young people ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ebEY-Ti9 #WMHD #MentalHealth #CancerSupport #TesticularCancer

We asked young people with cancer for advice on struggling with body image. And this is what they had to say. When you’re going through cancer, there can be times when your body hardly seems like your body anymore. It’s normal to have complicated and difficult feelings about the ways that cancer or treatment changes your body. You might have lost your hair due to chemo. You may have lost or gained a lot of weight, either from cancer or treatment. Or perhaps you’re coming to terms with more lasting changes, like scarring, or amputation. Everyone’s experience is different, and everyone’s experience is valid. But without the right support, physical changes due to cancer can have a devastating impact on your wellbeing and self-confidence, at a time when you’re still figuring out your identity. That’s why our nurses and Youth Support Coordinators are specially trained to support young people with the impact of cancer on how they look and feel – from practical help to psychological support. Remember, even if your body does change, you’re still you. Cancer might change the way you look, but we want all young people to know that it can’t take away who you are. For more information on our Still Me campaign, body image and cancer ➡️ https://lnkd.in/egD_fZ29 #Cancer #BodyImage #CancerAwareness #CancerSupport

This week, Teenage Cancer Trust attended the final party conference of the season, The Conservative Party conference in Manchester. Like previous conferences, we caught up with sector colleagues and attended useful events, gaining insights on the party’s plan for cancer care, the NHS and youth engagement . We also contributed to important discussions with the Shadow Health Team, particularly around advocating for Teenage Cancer Trust’s priorities for the new National Cancer Plan for England. These include: - improving faster diagnosis for young people with cancer - addressing barriers to clinical trials - ensuring young people can get the specialist psychological support they need - the importance of better data on the experiences of young people with cancer. This discussion comes at a crucial time as the party currently undergo a review of their health policy. Although this is the end of the party conference season, there is still work to do. We will continue to urge all political parties to listen to the voices of young people and ensure they’re considered more greatly in the National Cancer Plan for England. To find out more about we’re doing and have done, visit: https://lnkd.in/ef3Urvzg #CancerSupport #Conservative #PartyConference

For our #StillMe campaign, Sam, Max, and Andrew share how cancer affected their body image as young men going through cancer. Cancer might change the way you look, but it can't take away who you are. For more information on our Still Me campaign, head to our website: https://lnkd.in/egD_fZ29 💙 #BodyImage #Cancer #CancerTreatment #CancerAwareness #MenMentalHealth

Following on from our visit to the Liberal Democrat Conference, this week our Policy and Public Affairs Team attended the Labour Conference in Liverpool to hear more about the party’s plans for cancer care, the new NHS 10 Year Plan and opportunities to tackle diagnosis of rare and less survivable cancers. We met with some of our MP Parliamentary champions (Bambos Charalambous MP and Steve Yemm MP) and raised questions at events with Ministers around our priorities for the new Cancer Plan for England. These include: - improving faster diagnosis for young people with cancer - addressing barriers to clinical trials - ensuring young people can get the specialist psychological support they need - the importance of better data on the experiences of young people with cancer. Thank you to all the MPs we met with and who have offered to continue to work with us to ensure that the upcoming Cancer Plan for England meets the unique needs of young people with cancer. #AndYoungPeople Next, the team are off to the Conservative conference in Birmingham to talk to MPs all about the key issues facing young people with cancer. #CancerSupport #Labour #PartyConference

Amun was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma aged 15, just before his year ten exams. After his treatment, he was worried about ‘standing out’ when returning to school. As part of our #StillMe campaign, he talks about how the reality of going back was not as difficult as he’d feared and the value of going back to school after treatment. “Going back to school definitely helped. It took a large part of the day up, gave me a distraction, an outlet for my thoughts, a place to focus and learn, and also a place to be myself again where I didn't feel like I was trapped. “But as beneficial as it was, it was actually very daunting. I went in with a cap on my head, and I felt like this made me stand out and people would treat me differently. “I think the fear is much larger than the reality. Because no one is looking at you, and as hard as it is to believe it’s true – no one cares.” Amun recommends getting back to the old routines that come with school as a positive step forward for anyone who has just been through cancer treatment. “I would say go for it – if you feel well enough and if your healthcare team agree. The exposure to other people my own age rather than being surrounded by doctors and family all day was much needed. “Even if you go in for half a day and go home early because you’re tired, I would strongly advise going. It made me feel normal again and made me feel like a child rather than just an ill kid. “Going back to school and looking different and feeling insecure is obviously hard, I won’t sugar coat it. But if you surround yourself with the right people and try to just enjoy yourself and be a kid, you’ll be just fine. “School may be the last place you want to be, but going in and living your ‘old life’ will make you feel so much better. School for me went from being a chore to being a treat. “Overall, I would say try to live your normal life within your own limits. Just because you’re ill right now, doesn’t mean that you will be forever.” To read Amun’s full story, follow the link: https://bit.ly/4gVAsQQ #BackToSchool #CancerSupport #SchoolAndCancer

As a proud member of Wales Cancer Alliance, we are pleased to share the Alliance’s manifesto to improve cancer care in Wales. Published today, this outlines our four key recommendations, and we are calling on all parties to commit to delivering these should they form the next Welsh Government. You can find out more about our calls and read the full manifesto, Fixing the foundations, here ➡️ WCA Manifesto FINAL1.indd #CancerSupport #CancerCare #WelshCancerAlliance