Don’t Change Yourself for Other People: Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) Living with Cancer

 

This video contains a panel discussion about the unique challenges that Adolescent/Young Adult cancer survivors (AYAs) face as well as research covering how AYAs give advice to each other about their experiences.

As implications and future directions, the authors emphasize the importance of listening to patients to understand unmet needs/major stressors/disruptions/uncertainties, that patients often talk about when sharing their experiences, as this can be relevant for health professionals training, but also to establish AYA advisory boards. In addition, there is a need to incorporate peer support, be mindful of toxic positivity, and understand when the right time has come to offer advice or support to young adults with cancer.