Recent years have seen increased attention paid to understanding the particular challenges experienced by young people diagnosed with cancer from the onset of symptoms, through treatment completion and beyond. For some young people, the consequences of a cancer diagnosis can still be felt many years after the completion of their treatment, impacting a young person’s identity, self-esteem, body image, distress levels, peer and family relationships, school and career plans, life perspective and future prospects for adulthood.
At age 19, and diagnosed with a Ewings Sarcoma, I embarked on a treatment regime that involved 10 months of chemotherapy in an adult ward with prior and post surgery. Like many young people, the imperative need to cure the disease outweighed the concern of treatment induced long term side effects. The 'new normal' defines the readjusted life of a young person after cancer and defines my life today, almost ten years on.
This presentation aims to highlight the longer term impact of late and other side effects from cancer and its treatment, through the collective experiences of young people, who are and have been, involved with the Victorian and Tasmanian Youth Cancer Advisory Board.