CANDO NEWS July 2020
What’s inside • Meet our amazing young people Keiran and Aimee • Update on COVID-19 from our Board and CEO • Find out about our online Survivorship Program
Message from the Chair of the Board
Message from the CEO
I hope you’re well and staying safe during these unprecedented times. Things have certainly changed since the last time I wrote to you!
Firstly, I would like to say a huge thank you for your continued support. The world is currently experiencing sustained upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic and we are so grateful to have you as part of our community as we overcome this together.
For young people at Canteen, the sudden upheaval of our lives by COVID-19 can feel like another blow at a time when we’re already incredibly vulnerable. These feelings don’t replace the existing anxiety, fear, loneliness and depression surrounding our cancer experience but, instead, adds to them. Thankfully, your generosity is helping us continue to ensure that no young person impacted by cancer is alone at a time when they most need support. We’re ramping up activity on our worldleading online platform, Canteen Connect, which provides counselling services, peer support and research-based resources for young people from the comfort of their homes. I can certainly appreciate it’s a difficult time for everyone right now, so I’d like to thank you for choosing to continue to support young people living with cancer. By supporting Canteen, you’re ensuring we can remain here for our young people at a time when they need us most. They might be physically isolated, but thanks to you they don’t have to deal with cancer alone. Thank you, Joey Lynch Chair of the Board
During this challenging situation, our main priority is the health and safety of the young people we support, many of who have or live with people who have compromised immune systems. We have paused all face-to-face interactions, moving all our services online so young people can access crucial support via email, video and phone. Canteen will now provide programs online and we’re absolutely committed to making sure the group environment comes to life vibrantly. Although things have changed recently, it’s important to not completely overshadow all the incredible work that we’ve made possible together. Thanks to your support, over the last year we have reached more young people than ever before and been able to support them through one of the most challenging times of their lives. We’ve revitalised our online support service, Canteen Connect, and continued with our life-saving clinical trials and expanded our research to make this happen. You’ve made all this possible and with your help, we can continue to change the lives of young people living with cancer. I can’t thank you enough for your continued generosity and support. Thank you, Peter Orchard Canteen CEO
Meet Keiran Canteen Youth Ambassador, 20, who lost his Mum to cancer When I was 15, my Mum, Alison, was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. I didn’t know how to react, so I didn’t react at all. I didn’t know how to feel and I didn’t know who to tell. When Mum passed away in 2015, a friend suggested I join Canteen as she had found the support wonderful when dealing with her own cancer experience. At first, I was hesitant because I didn’t know what to expect but after attending my first overnight program, I realised this was an organisation that was going to change my life forever. I was surrounded by likeminded people my age who had been through a similar experience and the friendships I made have been pivotal in changing my life for the better. Canteen helped me understand why I’m feeling the way I do and that it’s normal to grieve. I know it’s okay not to be okay and it’s normal to feel emotional or not to feel much at all. Either way, I know the memory of my Mum is still very much alive for me and my family. There are no words to express the gratitude I have for those who support Canteen. Thank you for believing in Canteen and the young people you support.
Your generosity allows young people to realise they are not alone, they are not isolated, they are not the only ones going through this experience; there is support out there, there are people who care and who want to support them on their journey.
What COVID-19 means for Canteen Our number one priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is the health and wellbeing of the young people we support and their families. Cancer treatment can weaken the body’s immune system, which greatly increases the risk of serious health implications. If someone going through treatment contracts an additional virus or illness, such as COVID-19, it could be life-threatening. As a result, Canteen has temporarily paused any face-to-face interactions and to continue supporting our young people without interruption, we’ve completely overhauled how we’re available to young people who need guidance. We’ve ramped up our online support, with more staff delivering digital counselling and we’ve created more virtual opportunities for young people to stay connected from the safety of their homes. Thanks to you, we‘re able to do everything we can to be there for young people and their families, while they not only deal with cancer but the added stresses of a pandemic. We also know that even as everyday life starts to return to ‘normal’, the impact COVID-19 has on our young people will remain. Canteen and the young people you support will feel the impact of COVID-19 long after the pandemic is over. But thanks to you, we will be there to guide young people through the challenges ahead and ensure they’re not alone.
Upcoming online events Canteen Connect Although Canteen has paused in-person services, thankfully we can still offer young people support through our online platform, Canteen Connect. It’s a secure, online community, available 24/7 for young people dealing with their own or a close family member’s cancer. Young people can go online and gain access to our specialist support, including counselling, discussion forums, and useful resources to cope with isolation. Since COVID-19 began, we have seen an increase in young people who need our support, particularly during this unprecedented time. We have seen a 43% increase in young people registering for Canteen Connect and almost double the young people logging in. Most of the conversations are about COVID-19 and its impacts on their treatment or their family member’s treatment, and how they can process and deal with the uncertainty.
With your support we can continue to provide a safe and supportive online environment for young Australians who are going through a cancer experience. Thank you for making this possible!
We’re making sure young people don’t miss out on peer connection during the COVID-19 pandemic which is why we have developed online programs for young people to attend. These sessions include: Monthly mindfulness sessions Digital brunches Sibling online discussion groups Online study support groups Monthly online book clubs Online video games drop ins Through these online sessions, young people can connect and socialise with others who understand what they’re going through. The sessions continue to provide valuable skills development, social connection and peer support to ensure all our young people feel supported despite being physically isolated. If you know a young person who might want support in dealing with cancer in their lives, please let them know Canteen is here to help!
Survivorship Program WHAT? Due to COVID-19, our Survivorship Program has moved online. Instead of a 3-day in person program, young people will have the chance to connect with those who have gone through a similar experience through three 90-minute sessions spaced over three weeks. HOW? From the safety of their own homes, young people will access the online sessions which will be small and intimate, encouraging peer support. Each session will focus on a different topic and young people will learn coping skills they can apply to their daily lives. WHY? The program is designed for those who have experienced cancer themselves, allowing them to gain confidence and adapt to life after cancer. Attendees are encouraged to share, learn and support each other, allowing them to build relationships with those who have also survived cancer.
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Young people get to know each other through sharing their cancer experiences and are introduced to values-based actions. A specialised Canteen counsellor encourages attendees to become aware of their thoughts and feelings, while also learning how to use adaptive coping strategies. Participants talk through their identities and strengths before and after cancer. Looking to the future, they develop an action plan for achieving what matters most to them after cancer.
Meet Aimee Canteen Youth Ambassador, 18, Cancer Survivor I was always a sporty kid. I loved netball, volleyball and soccer – you couldn’t keep me inside. There was nothing I liked better than being on the field, giving it my best shot. But suddenly things changed. I started to have this terrible pain in my hip. It got so bad I had to stop playing sport. I couldn’t bear to put pressure on my leg. My parents were worried sick and took me from doctor to doctor looking for an answer. When we finally got one, it was a shock. I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was cancer. My life changed forever and was taken over by medication, MRI scans, doctor appointments, fasting, surgeries and stays in hospital. Throughout my treatment, the doctors always said I was in the 1% club. If 1% of people got side effects from a treatment – I was one of them.
After three years of treatment, I felt so isolated and completely cut off from other people. I didn’t really see anyone except my immediate family. I missed my friends and my teammates. I felt like there was no one who understood how I was feeling. But I got the chance to feel young and happy again when I joined Canteen’s Survivorship Program. It helped me have fun and feel my own age. It gave me the crucial psychological support I needed to get back into society and start trying to live a normal life again. The most important thing I worked out was that my cancer experience isn’t my whole personality. With ongoing support from Canteen, I’m able to get back into the things I love, like sport, even if it’s in a different way than before. Now I coach volleyball and netball and both my teams won the grand final last season! There’s so much more to me than just being a cancer survivor!
I want to say a huge thank you for everything you’re doing. Your kindness is helping young people like me in a really difficult situation. You helped change my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
What we’ve achieved together in 2019/20 1,266 total users on Canteen Connect
2,736 online counselling & support sessions
1,354 young people supported through our Youth Cancer Services and Clinical Trials 1,863 young people supported in person
1,114 counselling sessions
428 parents who were dealing with cancer were supported 2,267 spots for young people to attend overnight programs and recreation days 6 young people used a Canteen robot to remain connected with their peers while undergoing treatment
Thank you for changing the lives of young people living with cancer! 1800 639 614
candofamily@canteen.org.au
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