Young people like Emily need you this Adolescent and Young Adults Cancer Awareness Week.
At CancerCare Manitoba, a specialized program is dedicated to supporting adolescents and young adults during one of the most pivotal – and vulnerable – times in their lives.
Remarkably, programs like this are made possible only through donor generosity. And young patients gain age-appropriate care, emotional connection, and a community that is needed.
Emily is a remarkable young woman from Winkler. Her life changed just weeks before her 18th birthday.
As she was preparing to start university — looking at dorm rooms, excited for new friendships, and the independence that comes with this next chapter. The momentum was slowed by what she thought was an allergic reaction. Instead, a frightening hospital visit, followed by a series of tests, revealed a large mass in her chest.
Soon after, a biopsy confirmed stage three Hodgkin lymphoma.
It was just two weeks before she was supposed to begin university.
“My whole world turned upside down,” Emily recalls. “I was a high-performing student, looking forward to the beginning of a new school year, and then suddenly I was very sick.”
Emily quickly began chemotherapy that continued every two weeks for six months. She went through exhausting treatments and difficult side effects — all while watching friends her age continue on with their lives. The emotional toll of feeling left behind was heartbreaking.
The emotional effects for young people can be immense – school stops, careers pause, friendships shift, and growing independence suddenly slips away. They manage major medical decisions, big changes in their body, and a future that looks different than anything they imagined.
You can help change their experience with cancer. Your support today gives young people in our province access to the leading-edge treatment and care they need to navigate a cancer diagnosis.
Emily was grateful to receive most of her treatment close to home in Winkler. But even with that comfort, being one of the youngest people in the treatment room made an already isolating experience even more challenging.
It was hard for Emily to find a sense of belonging during treatment. Thankfully, donors understand there is another way. The donor-funded Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program offers peer support groups, mental health resources, and educational tools designed for the unique realities of facing cancer as a young person.
Through the AYA program, Emily connected with other young Manitobans who truly understood what she was going through. “The AYA support group was so good for me,” she said. “It helped me see that I’m not alone. Other people my age are going through the same struggles.”
Nine months after her diagnosis, Emily received the news she had been hoping for — her cancer was in remission.
“I thought this was the message that was never going to come,” she shared. “I never thought I’d be better, but here I am, in remission.”
Today, she continues with regular scans and still faces the very real fear that the cancer will return. Which is why the ongoing critical support provided through the AYA program remains a cornerstone as she moves forward.
Donor generosity has helped young adults like Emily access programs designed to support their physical, emotional, and social well-being during one of the most difficult times of their lives. Yet this year — and in the years ahead — many more young people in our province will hear the words, “You have cancer,” and they need your help.
When cancer interrupts a young life, the right support can make all the difference. Please consider giving today to help make that possible for Manitobans like Emily, Dan and Loren.
Read more stories of young Manitobans whose lives were changed by their cancer diagnosis.
