Teenage Cancer Trust

What does the Autumn Budget mean for young people with cancer ❓ ⬇ We welcome the Government’s announcement to invest in the NHS, including extra funding for more scanners and radiotherapy machines so people can be diagnosed earlier. Today’s announcement must now be used as an opportunity to improve outcomes for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Government has committed to addressing the biggest killers in its Health Mission and the focus on cancer must address the unique needs of young people. Cancer kills more teenagers and young adults in the UK than any other disease, but at the moment, young people with cancer face inequalities when accessing cancer care. We know that young people have to see their GP more times than any other age group before they get a diagnosis, meaning many face potentially life-threatening delays to getting their cancer diagnosed and treated. The Government should develop a specific public awareness campaign for cancers experienced by young people, to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms, building on campaigns such as Teenage Cancer Trust’s ‘Best to Check’ campaign. The Government has the chance to drive change for a generation of young people with cancer and we welcome the opportunity to work together to ensure the needs of young people with cancer are met.

Last night our CEO Kate Collins joined other health charity leaders at a reception hosted by the Department of Health and Social Care, to hear more from the new Ministerial team about their priorities and getting the NHS fit for the future.

Do you know the five most common signs of cancer in young people ❓ Just 17%* of 13 – 24-year-olds know all of the five main signs of cancer in young people – we want to change this. Early diagnosis is really important because it improves young people's outcomes. There are lots of different signs and symptoms of cancer. These are some of the most common in young people aged 13 – 24. 1. Lumps and swellings 2. Unexplained tiredness 3. Mole changes 4. Persistent pain 5. Unexplained weight change Having any of these doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer, but it’s really important to get checked out – especially if they last for a while and you can’t explain them. Find out more 👇 https://lnkd.in/gYRdyzC

Last week the Minnesota Vikings visited the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to meet some of the young people we support and find out more about the work we do. 🏈 Young people had the opportunity to meet cheerleaders, former players Jake Reed and Cris Carter and the Vikings mascot – Viktor the Viking! We'd like to thank them for coming along and for kindly gifting Vikings gear💙

Cancer doesn’t just affect your body – it affects your mind, thoughts, emotions too 💭 Experiencing cancer as teenager or young adult can have an especially big impact on emotional wellbeing and mental health. This World Mental Health Day, six young people share how cancer impacted their mental health. #WorldMentalHealthDay #MentalHealth #WMHD

Finding out that a loved one has cancer is a huge shock and can turn a family or partner’s life upside down. It can leave you battling with a lot of different emotions and it can be hard to know how to respond. Often the most helpful thing – for you and them – is simply to be there when you’re needed, but it’s also important to look after yourself at such a difficult time 💙 Here are just a few ways you can be there to support a loved one who is going through cancer 👇 - Ask what you can do. Your loved one might want you there 24/7 or might prefer to know you’re always a phone call away. - Encourage them to do normal things. If they’re feeling well enough, seeing friends and going out can make a real difference. - Talk about normal things. Not every conversation needs to be about cancer. Talk about the things that you’d normally discuss. - Be honest. Try to open up about your feelings and to encourage them to do the same. - Try not to take over. Involve them in decisions about treatment and try to understand if they want to go to appointments alone. If they are over 16 their care team will also be involving them in decision making.

We'd like to say a heartfelt thank you to the Yorkshire Property Charitable Trust for their incredible support, ensuring no young person faces cancer alone 💙 We'd also like to thank our partner OCU and Hall Brown Family Law for providing essential corporate volunteer support on the day.

We're recruiting for an Associate Director of Fundraising 📢 The role will be responsible for providing strategic vision, inspiration and direction to our fundraising directorate and for developing and implementing fundraising strategies, approaches and initiatives. The ideal candidate will have broad experience across the fundraising portfolio, with a proven track record of delivering significant income targets and driving cross-portfolio decision making. Find out more and apply 👇 https://lnkd.in/erH-tSJA

Want to make a difference to the lives of other young people with cancer? We’re looking for people to join our Youth Advisory Group 🙋♀️ What is it ❓ The Youth Advisory Group is a group of young people who have been affected by cancer who want to make a difference for young people like themselves. Who can join ❓ You can join if you: -      Were diagnosed with cancer, or had cancer treatment, between the ages of 13-24 years old -      Have finished treatment within the last two years (not including maintenance treatment) -      Are well enough to engage with the group What will I get to do ❓ There will be lots of different things you can get involved with, including: -      Contributing to projects across the organisation. -      Opportunities to meet online monthly. -      A minimum of one in-person residential meeting. -      Working with senior members of staff to give your ideas, insights and feedback. -      Telling us how we can better support other young people -      with cancer. When does it start ❓ The group will start in January 2025. We’d like you to commit to the group for two years, until December 2026.  Interested, or know someone who might be? Find out more and apply 👇 https://lnkd.in/e5TTjgjd  

Why does Teenage Cancer Trust attend party conferences and how does this benefit young people with cancer ❓ It’s a busy time in the world of politics as UK political parties hold their annual conferences. Thousands of people attend the conferences including politicians, party members, decision makers, the media and charities. This year our Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns team are attending the The Labour Party, The Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats party conferences. Here are four reasons why Teenage Cancer Trust attends party conferences: 1️⃣ It’s an opportunity to meet with as many politicians as possible in one place. We meet with MPs to raise awareness of the issues that teenagers and young adults with cancer continue to face across the UK, and highlight why they need specialist care and support 2️⃣ We share information and evidence about young people’s experiences of cancer and what we think the UK Government needs to do to improve outcomes for young people.    3️⃣ In these conversations with politicians, we will be focusing on key areas that young people with cancer need the UK Government to act on, including:  - making sure every teenager and young adult with cancer has access to expert mental health support  - ensuring they have access to clinical trials  - taking action to ensure that that young people with cancer are diagnosed faster     The work doesn’t stop after party conference season ends. We hope that following these meetings, we’ll have Teenage Cancer Trust champions in Westminster who can help us raise the voices of young people with cancer at the highest level so that real change happens. Teenagers and young adults must not be forgotten about when key decisions are made about cancer care.    Find out more about what we are asking the UK Government to do to improve cancer care for young people 👇  https://lnkd.in/efa-NYS6