Teenage Cancer Trust

"I was 18 when the symptoms first started. I'd always struggled with bowel habits. I would eat and not long after, go to the toilet - there was often blood. I was losing a lot of weight and always had bad stomach cramps which I associated with IBS. I went to the doctors about three or four times over between the ages of 18 to 24. I was diagnosed with IBS and given tablets, but I was never referred to any hospitals to have any further testing. "When I was told I had cancer, I remember the doctor talking and using fancy terminology. Because I spent two days in absolute stress, in my head I was convinced I was going to die. But when I went into the appointment, it was very positive. The doctor told me it was a very early bowel cancer and said they were quite sure I was going to live a normal, happy life. Obviously, it wasn't fine, but I thought ‘I’ll do what I have to do to beat this.’ I came away from that meeting feeling a lot better about it all. "After surgery, they’d tested the tumour, and I was told I was in remission. My chances of reoccurrence are very low. I’m now having regular checkups, including colonoscopies forever. I had a temporary stoma bag for nine months and it was reversed in 2023. There was a long time after where it was very unpredictable, I couldn't leave the house because I had no control. But things are much better now. I just had my 2-year CT scan results which were all clear so that’s some positive news!” Shelby was diagnosed with bowel cancer just after her 24th birthday. She discusses her initial IBS misdiagnosis and how cancer and a temporary stoma bag changed her perspective. "Cancer changed my life in a good way because it made me appreciate things that I didn’t before. It's the little things like being in nature, sunsets - cheesy things like that which you learn to appreciate. Having the stoma bag kind of opened my eyes too. I never really stopped to consider other people's health and how it must feel to go through these sorts of things."  April is Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month, and we are calling on the Government to ensure that the voices of young people like Shelby are listened to as part of the consultation for the National Plan for England, which is taking place at the moment 💙  Our #AndYoungPeople campaign aims to ensure that the voices of young people are embedded in every part of the decision-making process, so they are diagnosed more quickly, get the mental health support they need and can access potentially life-saving clinical trials.  Go to https://lnkd.in/e5tYpzPA to sign our open letter and add your name to our campaign.  #AndYoungPeople #TYACAM #TeenageCancer #cancersupport #youngadult #bowelcancer  

This month is Teenage & Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month. Read our Chief Executive Officer Kate Collins' thoughts on why we've launched our new campaign #AndYoungPeople. You can also add your own name to the campaign and sign our open letter to the Government following this link: https://lnkd.in/e5tYpzPA #TYACAM #AwarenessMonth

Today marks the beginning of Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month and we’re going to spend the next 30 days doing what we always do – advocating for the voices of teenagers and young adults with cancer to be heard by those with the ability to change things.  This is a critical time for young people with cancer. On World Cancer Day in February, the Government launched a consultation to develop a National Cancer Plan for England. That consultation finishes at the end of this month. The plan has been a long time coming, and we welcome the fact we’ve been invited to feed into it.   But.    We have heard promises in the past. And too often, we see words without action.   Young people need the Government to create a sustainable long-term cancer plan that’s fair for everyone, and includes a commitment to ensure teenagers and young adults with cancer:  - are diagnosed faster   - can access expert mental health support   - have access to life-saving clinical trials   - are offered appropriate treatment to preserve their fertility.   That’s why we’re calling on the Government to take this opportunity to truly deliver for teenagers and young people with cancer.   Without this, young people will continue to face inequality, needless struggle and poorer outcomes in their cancer journeys.  The Government must listen to the voices of young people or risk leaving them behind. Head to https://lnkd.in/e5tYpzPA sign our open letter and add your name to our campaign.  #AndYoungPeople #TYACAM #TeenageCancer

Teenage Cancer Gigs at the Royal Albert Hall 2025 💙 We had an amazing week with fantastic music and comedy, raising money to support young people with cancer. To start the week and end the month, we’re sharing some our favourite pics from this years shows. ✨ #TeenageCancerGigs #LiveMusic #RoyalAlbertHall #StandUpComedy #CancerSupport #CancerAwareness

#TeenageCancerGigs are back! We’re so excited to be kicking off an incredible week of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Opening our 2025 instalment is Frank Carter and Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols with special guests Kid Kapichi and The Molotovs! We can’t wait to see you all tonight 🎸✨ [Images from 2024 gig series].

We’d like to express our heartfelt thanks to Wendy Stuart of STUART ENERGY LIMITED and her committee for organising a hugely successful Charity Ball which took place at the Brick Stadium Wigan on the 8th March. Over £29,000 has been raised (including expected matched funding from Barclays) all in support of young people facing cancer. We’re thankful to all guests attending, sponsors and most importantly to Alessia for boldly sharing her experiences of cancer as a young person and the vital support she received from Teenage Cancer Trust. 💙

We’re delighted to share our new Erased Tapes curated Saturday night headliners for this years #TeenageCancerGigs series are Penguin Cafe with Daniel Brandt, Douglas Dare and Hatis Noit. Tickets on sale now – visit: https://lnkd.in/dwTZ35yQ to get yours!     We’re also excited to announce next year’s guest curator for our Royal Albert Hall shows... or should that be – Cure-ator?! Robert Smith of legendary rock band The Cure will be taking over the reins for 2026 and we cannot wait to see who he brings to the lineup.  Robert said: “Teenage Cancer Trust does the most fantastic work, and it is a great honour - and a real thrill - to be asked to curate the 2026 shows at the Royal Albert Hall. I can promise it will be a very memorable week!”    Robert takes over from our Honorary Patron Roger Daltrey who stepped back from curating duties last year. Returning with their first new album in 16 years, Songs Of A Lost World, The Cure received widespread critical acclaim, featuring heavily in 2024’s ‘albums of the year’ lists. The Guardian described it as “powerful, possessed of a dark beauty and frequently moving in a manner that feels different to anything they’ve released before”, while The Times described it as “their Dark Side of the Moon”, “rich in melodrama and bombast”.    Formed in 1978, The Cure have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, headlined the Glastonbury Festival four times and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. They are considered to be one of the most influential bands to ever come out of the UK. 

When you’re going through cancer, hearing from others who’ve been there too can be an important source of support, inspiration or comfort. For our Only Young Once campaign, four young people who’ve been through cancer share their advice and two haikus, for any young person facing cancer right now. #OnlyYoungOnce #CancerSupport #PeerSupport

Teenage Cancer Trust Lead Nurse Karen and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Senior Research Nurse Ben hosted a visit for Chi Onwurah MP at our unit at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle today. Chi heard about the collaborative TYAR.org website they created alongside young people looking to increase young people's participation in cancer clinical trials. She also toured the unit, meeting with some amazing young people to chat about their experiences and the impact of Teenage Cancer Trust.

🌟 Teenage Cancer Trust is now PIF TICK re-certified. This means its health information continues to be: - Evidence-based - Up-to-date - Easy to use and understand Get PIF TICK certified: https://lnkd.in/eURpbSfF #HealthInformation #PIFTick The PIF TICK is the only independently assessed trust mark for health information. Find trusted health information from PIF TICK certified organisations and individuals in our PIF TICK Directory here: https://lnkd.in/dsp6TC_m