When you’re 18, the future is wide open. There’s a world of possibilities out there, and you can’t wait to find your way in it.

Then you hear the three words you least expected to hear: “You have cancer”.

Suddenly, your life’s been turned upside down. You’re terrified, and living from one appointment to the next. Your friends try to be supportive, but they’re busy starting careers or studying, and it feels as if life is going on without you.

Going through cancer when you’re young can feel like the loneliest place in the world. That’s why young people need someone in their corner who can reassure them that their diagnosis isn’t their destiny, and that cancer needn’t stop them living their lives.

Our nurses and youth workers are specially trained to get teenagers and young adults through cancer. They support them from diagnosis through every step of their treatment, and for up to two years afterwards, so that they can recover and live life to the full.

And our wards don’t feel like hospital – they’re spaces where young people facing cancer can feel at home, meet others their age, and welcome family and friends while being looked after by a dedicated team of specialists.

But it’s only thanks to donations from our supporters that we can continue to be there for every young person who needs us.