The original inspiration for this book was George who died from osteosarcoma at the age of 23. During his illness his parents tried without success to access information on the life-stage issues that make life-threatening illness during young adulthood particularly difficult to manage. They could find no literature relating specifically to this problem and struggled throughout George's 4 years of living with cancer to cope with the additional problems faced by families in this situation. After his death they set up a research project to help other families facing these issues. This book is the outcome of that research. It is heavily based on the use of narrative material written by parents whose young adult children have been diagnosed with cancer. The book addresses issues such as sexuality and fertility, independence, the need for normality, the effect on siblings, the ownership of medical information, financial issues, the impact on the parents' partnership and the emotional consequences of the illness. It is designed to be of practical assistance both to parents and to health professionals involved with the care of young adults with cancer.

"This book is shouting out to every person who is involved with young people's cancer. I hope they listen." Macmillan Cancer Support "This is an absolute 'must' read for all those who care for young people with cancer, including the patients themselves, parents, doctors, nurses, psychologists and all of the caring professions." Professor Tim Eden, Christie NHS Trust, Manchester, UK "I particularly liked the layout of the book and the initial chapter is called 'setting the scene'. It does just that and informs the reader of services available and leads the reader into the remaining chapters about diagnosis through to sexuality and finally implication for policy and practice.I would recommend this book for everyone involved with cancer care. As a nurse I found it excellent. As a mum of two young people I found it very emotional." Jan Stevens, Nurse Coordinator, Hospice at Home "This book should be compulsory reading for all healthcare professionals who work with young people with cancer and especially for all professionals who may, at some stage, meet a solitary young person with cancer." Sue Morgan, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK What issues are of most concern to young adults living with cancer? How can a supportive care setting be established? How can we offer the optimum age appropriate care? This book uses original data gathered from in-depth research to present an account of what it is like to be an adolescent or young adult living with cancer. These first hand accounts contribute to the insight necessary to the provision of age appropriate quality care. The implications of these research findings for policy and practice are also related to NICE Guidance (2005). Though primarily based on a thematic analysis of interview data, the book also provides contextual and statistical information on the current incidence of cancer in young adults. Young People Living with Cancer is essential reading for health professionals engaged in the care of young adults with cancer, support workers in the health services, young adults with cancer, their families, academics and students. The text offers a contribution to policy and practice that may enhance compliance and consequently improve outcomes.

What is it like to be a teenager today? How do parents and teenagers experience their roles and responsiblities? And how does the problem of health - a major cultural goal of the twentieth century - figure in the perspective and priorties of young people and their parents This book seeks to answer these questions in a unique study of over 800 16-year-olds. Taking family life as the focus, the book explores a critical moment in teenagers and parents lives with respect to the transition to adulthood, a point a which young people and parents take important decisions about the future, especially concerning education, training and the labour market.

"The experiences of the families rang true throughout. I have experienced many of these personally. ...It made me think differently about my personal experience as a parent of a child with cancer and my son's current social experiences." Macmillan Cancer Support This book offers a radical critique of existing psychosocial research on children’s experiences of cancer and proposes an alternative view informed by recent interpretive perspectives. Exploring topics from obtaining a diagnosis of childhood cancer through to sharing decision-making and communication, it reviews a wide-ranging body of research and theory on childhood, chronic illness, and cancer. The book also examines research that has focused on how parents and other family members experience childhood illness. Written by a sociologist, a psychologist and a practising paediatric oncologist, this book is unique in its approach and provides key reading across traditional disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the book highlights the emerging contribution of interpretive work to understanding chronic childhood illness and further develops the dialogue that has only recently emerged between the sociology of illness and the sociology of childhood. Rethinking Experiences of Childhood Cancer is aimed at researchers, students and practitioners in the fields of social science, childhood studies, nursing, medicine, mental health care, social work, clinical psychology and other professions allied to medicine, and will also be of interest to families who have been affected by childhood cancer.

Exploring the work of a Psych-Oncology Team in an inpatient and outpatient setting, this powerful, interesting, and engaging book is about teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer. As part of the few multidisciplinary teams of this type in the United Kingdom, the authors offer helpful insights into supporting young people and their families as they navigate this complex and devastating disease, writing on key areas such as trauma, the effects of early childhood cancer in adolescence and beyond, the social and cultural effects of cancer treatment, hope, and hopelessness, and questions of mortality. Each chapter contains a mixture of clinical reflections and patient vignettes, along with clear guidance about how to support patients and their families both during and after treatment, and at the point of death too. With a compassionate approach to understanding the challenges for patients, their families, and clinicians alike, this is a book for nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists, for parents and carers, and for young people who find themselves in this position and who can easily feel as though they are alone with their overwhelming feelings.