It’s UCAS season again!! In this podcast Laura from Young Lives vs Cancer in Northern Ireland talks about all things cancer and UCAS- if you’re currently in school and completing your application … or maybe you’ve taken a few years out for treatment or to work this podcast might be a helpful starting point when it comes to disclosing your diagnosis to UCAS and universities.

We are also joined by Cairenn McDonnell the Senior Medical Social Worker for the AYA team in Dublin to answer questions about the process in the south of Ireland for those wanting to apply there.

Young Lives vs Cancer is running a UCAS special drop in on Friday 4th of October 2024 from 2 – 3pm. For more info contact us via Live Chat on our website.

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

Happy International Friendship Day! In this podcast Laura from Young Lives vs Cancer in Northern Ireland and her friend of 20 years Erin have come together to answer your anonymous agony aunt questions about all things cancer and friendship with some helpful advice and reflections from Olaf, Mark, Judith and Holly as well who have all been supported by Young Lives vs Cancer.

In this podcast we reference some different charities and events that young people with cancer can access. They are: Teenage Cancer Trust, Cancer Fund for Children (contact details below), Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Look Good Feel Better, and Move Forward. You can also read more of Laura’s helpful advice for friends on the Young Lives vs Cancer website here.

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If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

Website: www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk | Amy’s House Belfast | Paul’s House Belfast  

Email: [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected]  

Call: 0300 303 5220 

Facebook: Young Lives vs Cancer in Northern Ireland  | Simon & Laura’s Instagram: @Simon.YoungLives | @LauraYoungLives  | Move Forward Crossfit Programme Instagram: @CrossfitMoveForward 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

Website: https://cancerfundforchildren.com/ | Daisy Lodge | Referral Form  

Email: [email protected] | [email protected]  

Call: 028 9080 5599  

Facebook: Cancer Fund for Children  | Instagram: @CancerFundforChildren 

In this podcast Laura from Young Lives vs Cancer chats with Lana and Kerrie about cancer related fatigue. Here are some links to the external charities/organisations who may be able to support you with your fatigue or provide more information:  

• Macmillan Coping with Fatigue (tiredness) Booklet  

• Trekstock’s resources on Exercise and their RENEW programme information 

If you are struggling with cancer related fatigue it’s worth chatting with your medical team so they can do a full check up on you to make sure there’s no other reason for the fatigue and they may be able to signpost to other professionals (like occupational therapists or counselling) or specialist programmes (like Move Forward!). You could also speak to your Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker to get support with work/education adaptions.  

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

If you’d like to get in touch with Teenage Cancer Trust 

Sorry for the audio quality in this podcast! We recommend listening with headphones.  

In this podcast Laura from Young Lives vs Cancer and Helen from Cancer Fund for Children chat with Gareth who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Lauren with Leukaemia and Lee with . All of them had stem cell transplant as part of their treatment but as you'll hear the impact on them in terms of treatment and post-treatment has been so different. 

JOIN THE STEM CELL REGISTER TODAY! Under 30 years old register via Anthony Nolan. Over 30? Register via DKMS UK.  

If you’d like to read more about stem cell transplants you can on the Teenage Cancer Trust website here, more about Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) on the Macmillan website, more advice from Young Lives vs Cancer about long hospital stays here (including helpful packing information). Gareth, Lauren and Lee recommend: a v shaped or pregnancy pillow (or just your own familiar pillow/blanket from home), treats and cooked food (even though appetite might be low) and downloaded shows/books (to circumvent poor wifi).  

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

In this podcast Laura from Young Lives vs Cancer and Helen from Cancer Fund for Children chat with Maddie and Finn who were diagnosed with Melanoma. They discuss what let them to diagnosis, their symptoms, treatment and lasting effects. They also discuss the power of friendships and meeting other people diagnosed with the same cancer as you. 

If you’d like to read more about Melanoma you can do on the Young Lives vs Cancer website here 

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

We also recommended looking at the resources and support from Melanoma Focus and Melanoma UK 

In this podcast Helen and Conor from Cancer Fund for Children speak to Connor about his experience of diagnosis and treatment for Leukaemia. He discusses the events that led to his diagnosis, how gaming helped him through his time in hospital and the unwavering support from his family.

Cancer Fund for Children are working to build a Youth Engagement Group to ensure the voice of children and young people is at the heart of our organisation and they are an active voice in championing change across cancer services & we’d love for you to be involved

All applicants would need to be young people affected by cancer, aged between 8 & 17 and within 3 years of referral to the Cancer Fund for Children/4 years of bereavement

Want to apply? Simply follow the instructions on the application form here

Further questions? Why not get in touch with our Youth Engagement Specialist Laura via email at [email protected]

You can read more about Leukaemia on the Young Lives vs Cancer website here.

Information on mental health support in NI can be accessed on the podcast description for s1e3 here.  

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

In this podcast Laura from Young Lives vs Cancer and Helen from Cancer Fund for Children speak to Leah, Danni and Annaliese about their very individual experiences of diagnosis and treatment for papillary thyroid cancer. They discuss symptoms before diagnosis, treatment and reactions from friends and family.  

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

In this podcast Laura from Young Lives vs Cancer and Helen from Cancer Fund for Children speak to Simon and Miranda about their son Ozzie who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia when he was 15 years old and sadly died in 2020. They discuss parenting through cancer and into bereavement and beyond. Please note this podcast is about the death of a child, which you may find upsetting or distressing. Please note as well that any medical discussion in this recording is strictly to do with Ozzie’s circumstances and will not be applicable to others.   

Ozzie was a brilliant talented musician- you can check out his music on his Youtube channel and Instagram 

There are organisations in Northern Ireland to support you and your family with bereavement. They are: Child Bereavement UK, Winston's Wish, the Compassionate Friends, Slow Group (online), Cruse Bereavement Support, as well as Young Lives vs Cancer and Cancer Fund for Children (details below). If you are a parent who has lost a child to cancer you can join our Young Lives vs Cancer Parent's Bereavement Facebook Group for peer support. 

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

Email: [email protected]

Call: 0300 303 5220 

Simon & Laura’s Instagram: @Simon.YoungLives | @LauraYoungLives 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

Email: [email protected] 

Call: 028 9080 5599  

This podcast is a conversation between Kathleen and Mise talking about motherhood before, during, and after cancer treatment. The last 15(ish) minutes of the podcast feature a fertility Q&A with Lisa Callendar Teenage Cancer Trust Clinical Nurse Specialist from the Ulster Hospital in Northern Ireland.  

For anyone diagnosed with cancer while pregnant or within 12 months after giving birth Mummy’s Star is a UK wide charity providing support  

If you’re concerned about your fertility before or after cancer treatment we have put together some resources that may be helpful- but please note you can speak to your clinical nurse specialist or Young Lives vs Cancer social worker for support with these issues. 

Here are some websites which talk about fertility preservation for people undergoing (or who have undergone) cancer treatment. Check out the Sex and Fertility information on the Young Lives vs Cancer website, the Teenage and Young Adults with Cancer information on their website, the Cancer, Fertility and Me website, or the Macmillan website. If you’d like more information on alternative routes to parenthood (adoption, fostering and surrogacy) please look at the Young Lives vs Cancer Instagram account @younglivesvscancer under the highlight ‘Parenthood Q&A’.  

Here is the website for the Regional Fertility Centre in Belfast, with their information about sperm banking. The Cancer Research UK information on their website here is also brilliant and comprehensive. (Remember to check out episode 2 of this series if you’d like to hear Connor and Daniel talking about their experiences).  

If you are trans or non-binary check out this amazing new resource from the NHS Youth Form about your rights when accessing healthcare (scroll to the bottom to read about the document and download). Also check out Live Through This, a national charity who aim to provide opportunities for LGBTQI+ people affected by cancer to meet and share their experiences. Or TransgenderNI or Cara-Friend for non-cancer-specific support local to you in Northern Ireland.  

Mise gives a shout-out to Dani on Instagram (@danigmakeup)- an influencer who has amazing videos on wigs, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Give her a follow!  

Please remember that Young Lives vs Cancer and Cancer Fund for Children are here to support all children and young people (and their families!) diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland.  

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

Thank you to Granite Exchange in Newry for all your help recording and producing this podcast series. Also to the National Lottery Community Fund for funding this podcast as part of our ‘Together we Thrive’ project and enabling us to share these stories.   

This conversation was between Judith and Timothy about how faith has helped them through their diagnosis, treatment and the dark times. Judith was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when she was 21 years old living in Edinburgh. Timothy was diagnosed with cancer when he was 9 years old and has, in his words, had several near death experiences. At the time of recording this podcast he is now 14 and continues to have ongoing treatment and hospital stays. If you’d like to read Judith’s blog post in full you can read it here.    

If you’d like to get in touch with Young Lives vs Cancer 

If you’d like to get in touch with Cancer Fund For Children 

Thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund for funding this podcast as part of our ‘Together we Thrive’ project and enabling us to share these stories.