An 'Unbelievably Difficult' Wait
- The Teenage Cancer Trust is dedicated to supporting young people diagnosed with cancer–they raise money for specialized nurses and youth workers, and they also fund hospital units in the NHS.
- They also hold events to help young people with cancer connect with each other. Many of the challenges associated with battling cancer can be socially isolating, so the Teenage Cancer TrustĀ helps young patients meet other people facing similar obstacles.
- Their annual benefit concert series at Royal Albert Hall has been put on hold for two years because of the pandemic, but it will return this year with acts like The Who and Ed Sheeran.
The Who, Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, Madness, and Don Broco, and Yungblud will all headline shows at the end of March. The Who has participated in the Teenage Cancer Trust's shows since 2000, and singer Roger Daltrey confirmed that they are reuniting for the annual benefit: "The Who will be back on stage this year!" he said.
Read MoreThe Teenage Cancer Trust in Great Britain is dedicated to supporting young people diagnosed with cancer on all fronts. They raise money to connect young cancer patients with specialized nurses and youth workers, and they also fund hospital units in Britain. The Teenage Cancer Trust even holds events to help patients connect with other young people facing the same challenges.
The Trust hosted their inaugural show in 2000. The event was called "The Who and Friends" and featured performances from Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher, and Paul Weller. Since then, many superstars have graced the stage, including Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Oasis, and Arctic Monkeys. Tickets for this year's event will be available on Friday February 25.
Coping with a Cancer Diagnosis at a Young Age
For people who are diagnosed with cancer at a relatively young age for an adult, a cancer diagnosis can feel life-shattering. Many people experience feelings of grief and anxiety after learning that they have cancer. Some might even experience clinical depression. It’s important to face any cancer-related mental health issues head-on, and seek help when you need it.
Dr. Scott Irwin, the director of Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai, explains in an earlier interview how it’s important to treat depression as it can negatively impact cancer treatment. He says, “Depression is a really interesting topic, because a lot of people assume that, oh, they have cancer. They must be depressed. That’s actually not true. 85% of patients do not get what would be considered a clinical depression. 15% do.”
Dr. Iriwn says, “For prescribing medications for depression in the context of cancer, I often try to choose medications with the lowest side effect profile. If patients are getting hormonal therapy, there’s particular antidepressants that we can’t use, because they may lower the effectiveness of that hormonal therapy,” he explains. “And so we choose antidepressants that don’t impact the cancer care. Depression and stress make it harder to treat cancer, make it harder to tolerate the treatments.”
“Actually,” says Dr. Iriwn, “there’s data that if you have extra stress or depression that you may not recover or you have a higher risk of recurrence so that in treating the depression, we’re actually impacting the cancer care outcomes.”
Treating Depression After a Cancer Diagnosis
Contributing: Anne McCarthy
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