Your donations have funded activities for a support group for young people aged 16 to 24 with cancer.

The peer support events are run by the Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) team at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre. The events include meals out, workshops and walks and the funding provides food, drinks and materials for the young people.

Peer support for young people with cancer is known to be a huge benefit to them. The events provide young people with an opportunity to socialise with others who truly understand their cancer experience and treatment journey. Two members of the TYA team attend the events to ensure a safe space for sharing and to support the young people and provide advice.

Here's some feedback from the young people who attend the events:

 "I found it very helpful and it truly helps my mental health."

"It's a way of socialising with other people my age without feeling like the odd one out."

 "It shows me that I'm not alone and it is 'normal'. I've made some great friends."

---

The support groups also give the parents of patients a chance to get to know one another, with feedback including:

“To be able sit and talk to other parents going through this has been amazing. It helps me make sense of the situation.”

“It’s great to have support from other parents at different stages of their journey. We identify with each other’s emotions and experiences.”

Staff on the TYA team said:

"It makes such an amazing difference being able to provide peer support as in our designated hospital they are unlikely to meet another young person as they go through treatment.

We wish we could bottle the effect - it's almost indescribable but absolutely magical watching the connections the young people make. This has such a positive impact on the teenager and young adult cancer patients and their wellbeing.

"Parents often comment on the difference it makes to their child's confidence after that have attended peer support."

---

With your support, we can continue funding little things that make a big difference to patients having treatment for cancer at our hospitals.

Make a donation