Today, 10 children and young people in the UK will hear the shocking

news that they have cancer.

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Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years. Being diagnosed with cancer is a frightening experience and the emotional, practical and financial implications of treatment are intensely challenging for the whole family.

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CLIC Sargent’s mission is to change what it means to be diagnosed with cancer when you’re young. They believe that children and young people with cancer have the right to the best possible treatment, care, and support, throughout their cancer journey and beyond. And they deserve the best possible chance to make the most of their lives once cancer treatment has ended.

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CLIC Sargent provides vital emotional, practical and financial support to young cancer patients and families during and after treatment, and we take what they tell us about the impact of cancer on their lives to service providers and policy makers to help change things for the better.

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How CLIC have supported me

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Living in rural Dorset is lovely, but when you're being treated in a hospital 45

minutes from your house, its a bit of a pain!  There is the drive there, finding

a parking space, which usually takes forever, the long walk through Musgrove

Hospital's long corridors to reach the Children's Ward for them to try and take

bloods.

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Having chemo, having bloods taken every week and also trying to continue a family life can put a lot of strain on being normal.  And that's not just on the young person, but parents and other siblings.  

 

My two lovely and supportive nurses, Gillian and Andre, were paid for by CLIC Sargent.  They drove out to take my bloods, often treated to a bacon sandwich or a piece of cake.  They also came out to my school so I only had to duck out of an AS Level class for a few moment, rather than missing a whole load of lessons. They gave me a kick up the backside when I needed it and I am so grateful.

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There are many other services that CLIC Sargent provide, supporting the young people and their families.

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What we are raising money for

 

£1.50 could help pay for a set of colourful storybooks for a child aged under 10, putting cancer into words and illustrations that help them understand and cope with what’s happening to them

 

£8 could help pay for a DVD to help prepare a young person with cancer to return to school, helping them keep up with their studies and deal with the challenges of meeting friends and teachers after their experience

 

£20 could pay for a CLIC Sargent Play Specialist to help a child prepare for and cope with treatment, by using models, toys and photos to explain what will happen. When a child is calm, treatment can be given more easily and can also be more effective

 

£50 could mean that a CLIC Sargent Social Worker can be there soon after diagnosis, talking to a family one to-one. Every family is different, so they assess their individual needs and tailor their services to suit them

 

£100 could help pay for specialist benefits advice for several families, reducing the financial impact cancer can have

 

£300 could pay for an average family stay of 11 days in a Home from Home – close to where their child is receiving cancer treatment

 

£780 could help pay for a CLIC Sargent Youth Development Worker for a week, helping young people maintain a sense of normality and planning activities to build their confidence and live life to the full

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