Teenage Cancer Trust is looking for donations to help recruit specialist nurses for every young person with cancer in Scotland
Teenage Cancer Trust is launching its Nursing and Support Service to deliver age-appropriate care to every young person with cancer in Scotland.
Each year there are 200 young people aged 13 to 24 diagnosed with cancer in Scotland, but only half have access to the dedicated young person’s cancer services in west and south east Scotland.
The aim is for every young person with cancer in Scotland to have access to a nurse in their local area.
The charity is recruiting clinical nurse specialists to work across Scotland to support young people with cancer in areas where they may not have access to specialist treatment.
Currently, Teenage Cancer Trust is working with the NHS to recruit new clinical nurse specialists in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Ninewells Hospital, Western General Hospital and Raigmore Hospital.
One person who will benefit from the charity’s new outreach nurses is Wendy Kay, from Perth, who was diagnosed with stage 3B Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of 17.
She said: “Before I was introduced to Teenage Cancer Trust, I was in isolation for my transplant and I was often far too ill for my friends and family to come visit. The adult ward I was in was very busy and I was offered no psychological help. I had to get through it myself with no local young people support groups.
“The first time I met another young person with cancer was when I went to Teenage Cancer Trust’s Find Your Sense of Tumour conference. I arrived not knowing anyone. But by the end of the weekend I felt like my whole group was family and none of us wanted to leave.
“Being supported by Teenage Cancer Trust was a lifesaver. I have met some of the most amazing people ever and made friends for life. I really do think every young person who is diagnosed with cancer deserves to be supported by Teenage Cancer Trust - they really do make all the difference. The support I received from Teenage Cancer Trust has completely changed my journey and they are a large part of why I am still around today, because they really did save me.”
Liz Watt, Teenage Cancer Trust’s lead nurse for teenagers and young people with cancer in Scotland, said: “We are rolling out Teenage Cancer Trust’s new Nursing & Support Service to reach young people with cancer like Wendy and provide them with the specialist age appropriate cancer support we are currently able to give in other areas of Scotland.
“This new service will see additional teams of Teenage Cancer Trust nurses taking specialist care beyond the Teenage Cancer Trust units, to wherever young people with cancer are being treated, whether that’s in their local hospitals, at home or elsewhere.”
The charity needs to raise around £1 million every year to be able to reach every single young person with cancer in Scotland.
To find out more about donating, visit the charity’s website.
