Thinking about young carers on International Youth Day

The UN’s International Youth Day takes place annually on 12th August, highlighting important issues affecting young people across the world. In this blog, our editor Matt talks about the effect of cancer on young people. 

Young people are affected by cancer in countless ways every day. Although cancer is sometimes seen as a disease that mainly affects older people, many young people are diagnosed and live with cancer each year.

Many other teenagers and young adults care for someone close to them who has cancer, an experience which could be overwhelming for anyone, but can be especially daunting for a young person.

Taking care of yourself
I can remember the stresses of dealing with life as a teenager – with school work, friendships and relationships feeling like a full-time job! So to add the responsibility of looking after someone living with cancer must be all-consuming.

International Youth Day is all about thinking about how actions might affect us in the long run, as well as living in the present.

As a young carer, it’s important to remember to take care of your life, health and education, as well as making time for yourself alongside spending time caring for those close to you. Doing this will help with your future well being, as well as making things easier for you and your loved ones right now.

When you are caring for someone with cancer it is totally understandable if you sometimes feel helpless, or if everything else feels insignificant. Remember that it’s ok to ask for support, and that you don’t have to cope with everything on your own.

How can you find help?
There are several ways that you can find help and support, from practical to personal issues:

• If you are in school, your teachers might be the last people you feel like telling about your home life. But it can be really useful to speak to an adult at school who you trust about keeping up with homework, if you’re being bullied, if you need time off or if you’re feeling distracted.
• If you’re working, either full or part-time, it is also worth speaking to your boss so they understand and can support you if you are feeling upset, missing the odd shift or needing time off at short notice.
• Even the basics of everyday life might feel like a mountain to climb if you’re also focused on somebody else’s needs. Remember that it will be easier to take care of someone else if you look after yourself too, even though it might feel hard to find the time.
• You can always speak to someone at Macmillan if you’re feeling down, frustrated, worried, or just need a talk. Please don’t try to just bottle it up. You can call on us 0808 808 00 00, or visit our online community to chat to others with similar experiences.

There is plenty of other information on things like your friendships, relationships, talking to your loved ones, or just generally living with your extra responsibilities, available on our website.

As a young carer you do amazing things every day, probably without realising. It's so important to take care of yourself too.

To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.

We're with you every step of the way

The Macmillan team is here to help. Our cancer support specialists can answer your questions, offer support, or simply listen if you need a chat. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00.

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