By Shelley White
A diagnosis of cancer is devastating to a person of any age. But for teenagers and young adults with the disease, it can be particularly lonely and isolating.
As reported on CBC.ca, a group of adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors, along with cancer specialists, met this past weekend in Toronto to discuss the issues and challenges facing young people with cancer. And they concluded that young Canadians with cancer are falling through the cracks of a system not designed for them.
Young people are more unlikely to seek medical help if they suspect a problem, and doctors may be less familiar with cancer symptoms in the young, said the workshop participants. Plus, young people with cancer lack peer support, because they are either in wards with young children, or once they turn 18, in facilities with much older adults they just can’t relate to.
Click here to read this full article on loneliness and isolation for young cancer patients.
