Krystle
Krystle's thyroid cancer diagnosis opened her eyes to her goals and dreams in life. She aspires to be a high school teacher. She was diagnosed when she was 21 years old, a fourth year college student at UC Irvine. Read her story.
Supporter Stories
Arnie
Arnie, now 16, was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 13. This is his story... Read his story.
Hannah
At 25, Hannah was diagnosed with a Carcinoid Tumour in her right lung at 18 after spending over five years going back and forth to her GP. Read her story.
Katie
Katie was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) in June 2007, at age of 22. Read her story.
Nikki
"At 12 I went to high school and enjoyed all it had to offer especially the sports, which I loved... Back then this was the biggest battle I faced, and now I realize how small it was." Read her story.
Lauren
"Being a teenager is about becoming an adult. You have fun with your peers, learn from your mistakes, face issues like your identity, responsibility, independence, relationships and decide on a career path. It's not easy for any teenager but having a huge extra issue like Cancer being dumped on you, I felt like my world was falling apart." Read her story.
Helen
"Alastair was a wonderful brother. That doesn't mean that we didn't fight like crazy. It just means that he was the most gentle and selfless person I know." Read her story.
Bianca
"Being diagnosed for me meant there was no more worrying about what I was going to wear out on Saturday night, or what results I'd gotten for my law exams. My new life instead carried with it constant worries such as whether I'd ever be able to conceive my own child in the future, or even worse, whether I would live long enough to even try." Read his story.
Lochie Teague
"The Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Bill of Rights outlines much of what a health service should be providing."
Read his story.
Dr. Rob Corbett
"The Bill of Rights is ambitious - and so it should be. Unless the benchmark is set at a laudable level, government agencies and policy-makers are unlikely to take the first steps committing their AYA cancer sufferers not only the best chance of cure, but the very best quality of cure."
Read his story.
John and Glenys Crocker
"...they [young adults with cancer] are no longer children and need to be treated with the respect and integrity necessary to allow them to fully cope with the journey they are on..."
Read their story.
Anna
"This might seem hard to understand but I think If I were to be given the opportunity of turning back the clock and having a different life, one without cancer, I would still choose to have the same journey life has thrown at me."
Read her story.
Wayne
"To me it is essential that young cancer patients like me are not treated like babies or old people. We have needs unique to our age group and we will cope with the bad stuff a whole lot better if we are treated as far as possible like normal teenagers."
Read his story.
Andrew
"When I was going through my treatment it was important to me that I was fully involved in key decisions. It is vital that young cancer patients feel they are empowered and are not just helpless victims of an illness."
Read his story.
Colleen
"I finally went to another Doctor, ordered an ultrasound myself... and found out I was in early stage 2 Ovarian cancer and we had to act quickly. Because of this, I had not time to discuss fertility options. I wish my Doctor had taken me seriously and I wish my diagnosis could have been quicker."
Read her story.
Keith
"What I needed more than anything was someone my age, or who felt like a peer, that I could talk to about questions that my doctors or parents or friends or family could not answer: "Am I going to be able to have my own children? How can I preserve my sperm?"
Read his story.
Renee
"The first medical provider that I visited when I found a lump in my right breast dismissed my concerns. I specifically asked for a mammogram, and she denied my request. Instead, she told me that I was too young..."
Read her story.
Carlos
A person can beat the disease but the emotional and physical scars can last a lifetime. In my case, I beat cancer but cancer took my leg, and this is something that will affect my everyday life for the rest of my life.
Read my story.
David
Five years after being diagnosed with cancer, David looks back at his past encounters with his physician and realizes the importance of having doctors that are advocates for their patients, particularly adolescent and young adult patients who have barely begun to live out their lives.
Read his story.
Alex
30 years old or younger and diagnosed with cancer: No one's ready for this. Read his story.
Holly
She shared that having cancer changed her outlook on life and allowed her to appreciate the smaller things. Having been diagnosed with cancer put things in perspective for Holly. At the same time, her diagnosis isolated her and forced her to confront the strength of her existing relationships with her friends.
Read her story.