Manchester's Youth Support Workers celebrated on World Cancer Day
330 young people in the North West are diagnosed with cancer each year
Every year, around 330 young people are diagnosed with cancer in and around Greater Manchester. To mark World Cancer Day, Teenage Cancer Trust is celebrating their Youth Support Coordinators here.
These Support Coordinators work as part of the team caring for young people and are on hand to talk to about things they might not want to talk about with a nurse or doctor. They help young people keep their lives as normal as possible during treatment.
Teenage Cancer Trust currently fund 33 Youth Support Coordinators across the country, five of those covering Greater Manchester & Lancashire.
Nic Rigby, from Greater Manchester, is a Youth Support Coordinator at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and supports young people with cancer in the area every day, whether that’s organising events with other young people or providing emotional support to them when they need it most.
The money raised from our Cash for Kids Superhero Day last year went towards building a bone marrow treatment room at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, and fund the activity budget for Nic in her role as Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Coordinator.
Nic says, “Every day is so different, you really have to think on your feet and have something up your sleeve.
'Every day is so different'
“A stand out moment in my job was when I was working with a young person who was too ill to leave home because of her cancer. We supported them to find out what would make her experience more bearable and this involved being pampered - it made her feel more confident and boosted her self-esteem.”
An important part of the role is to create an informal and relaxed atmosphere within the hospital ward and organise activities both on and off the unit to keep young people active, engaged and connected with others in similar situations.
From organising peer support events to listening to young people and advocating for them enables Youth Support Coordinators to be an integral part of a young person’s cancer experience, the role of Youth Support Coordinator is unique to the charity. They are specially trained to give young people support tailored to their individual needs, personality and personal situation.
Teenage Cancer Trust's Head of Youth Support Coordinators Helen Veitch says:
“Our incredible Youth Support Coordinators, like Nic, go above and beyond every single day, they never know what their day will look like, but they’re always equipped to provide whatever support young people and their families need. Nic’s example typifies this – arranging things bespoke to the individual to ensure they are a teenager first, cancer patient second.
“This World Cancer Day, Teenage Cancer Trust want to highlight the importance of specialist care for teenagers and young adults with cancer, Youth Support Coordinators like Nic are a perfect example of this.”
For more information about #WorldCancerDay visit: teenagecancertrust.org/wcd