Young Adult Cancer Survivors: Normal Doesn’t Exist After Battling Cancer
Young adult cancer survivors say they can’t go back to normal because they have changed in new ways post-cancer.
Young adult cancer survivors say they can’t go back to normal because they have changed in new ways post-cancer.
Along with the normal worries that arise due to a cancer diagnosis, one of the concerns teenagers may have is how to approach the subject when they return to school.
Cancer is rare in young adults, but a wide variety of cancers can occur in this group, even though it is not the typical age group related to cancer.
Adolescence can already be a difficult time, being when you become your own person and seek independence. Therefore, during this stage, cancer may seem like an obstacle to newfound freedoms and opportunities.
However, in order to lessen the hardship caused by the illness, individuals are encouraged to tap into resources that will assist them in their journey, such as those described below.
The experience of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and post-treatment can often result in patients feeling overwhelmed and unable to verbally express difficult thoughts and feelings. Art Therapy provides cancer patients, specifically young adults, with powerful tools to cope with their illness and help facilitate self-expression and alternative ways of communicating.
Here’s five young adult books that capture the cancer experience, either from the perspective of patients or the people around them.