Young Lives vs Cancer provide specialist support for young people with blood cancer.

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we know blood cancer doesn’t just impact a child or young person’s health. It can affect them (and their families) mentally, stretch their finances to breaking point, put huge pressure on school, college or work, mess with their confidence, their relationships and their social life.

That’s why we exist: to help them with everything outside treatment, so young cancer patients and their families can focus on getting well and living life as fully as possible, during and after cancer.

Kira, now aged 20, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, as she started Year 12 at school. 

“I remember when I was diagnosed I was with my sister in law. We were sat waiting for some test results and the doctor called us back into a room and they said ‘it’s lymphoma’. They were talking to us about it, what Hodgkin lymphoma was and how serious it was and then we went downstairs and we both just didn’t speak about it, we were trying to process it.

“I underwent six months of treatment, it was one cycle every month that lasted for two weeks every month. I found it quite hard. It was definitely hardest at the start because it was all really new and I didn’t know what was happening. I had three hospital admissions at the start.

“I was sure I didn’t want anything to affect my education. I was adamant that I didn’t want to re-sit Year 12 but the school became quite pushy. My Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker was the one I went to about that. He made sure I had the choice and that I didn’t need to re-sit the year.

“My Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker supported a lot. He was really good especially mental health wise because throughout it all I was really positive and then once treatment ended bam it all hit me. He was the one that noticed I had changed. He came to see me and asked me a bunch of questions. He made sure I was ok and got me help and someone to speak to.”