Life doesn’t stop after cancer treatment. Neither should support.
For many young people, finishing treatment can bring new questions, challenges and opportunities. It can feel isolating, uncertain, and hard to explain to those around you.
This program is here for the in-between, the space between finishing treatment and working out life after cancer and all that comes with it.
We support young people aged 15–25 as they adjust to life after cancer.
Your Advocate is here to listen, explore what matters most to you, help you navigate life after cancer, and connect you with the right people and services, building your confidence along the way.
Whether you’ve just finished treatment or it’s been some time, we’re here to support you.
This is about more than surviving. It’s about rebuilding your confidence, your identity, your sense of what’s possible and discovering what a meaningful life looks like for you.
Young people tell us that life after cancer can sometimes involve:
Physical changes, fatigue and ongoing health concerns
Anxiety, grief or uncertainty about the future
Changes to identity, relationships and body image
Challenges returning to study, work or everyday life
Feeling different from friends or unsure where you fit
You don’t have to be struggling with any one of these things to reach out. You don’t need to have all the answers.
We’re here to listen, make sense of what you’re experiencing with you and work out what comes next.
How we can support you
Our support is practical and tailored to what matters most to you.
Make sense of what life after cancer can look like, emotionally, socially and practically, and get support as you adjust to this next stage.
Feel more confident navigating appointments and the healthcare system, communicate with health professionals, make sense of information and advocate on your behalf when needed.
Explore your options, find services that fit your needs, including health, mental health, community and practical services. Support with referrals can also make the process of accessing services easier.
Consider your options for returning to or starting study or work, manage challenges and changes following cancer treatment, and connect with education and employment services.
We can also explore reasonable adjustments and communicate your needs at school, university or work.
Feel more confident asking questions, expressing your needs and preferences, making decisions and speaking up for yourself.
We can work alongside you to prepare for appointments, understand your rights and choices, communicate what matters to you and build the confidence to have your voice heard.
Understand and keep track of the ways cancer and treatment may continue to affect your health and wellbeing.
We can help you understand what’s happening, recognise when you might need extra support and feel more confident managing your health after cancer.
We can provide practical information and resources relevant to life after cancer to support you to navigate challenges such as independence, fertility, relationships, finances and everyday life.
Identify what’s important to you, set meaningful goals and take steps towards the future you want.
Our role is to provide advocacy, navigation and guidance. We are not a clinical or therapeutic service.
You don’t need to have it figured out to reach out
Contact us if you:
Aren’t sure what you need
Just want to talk things through
We’ll work with you to understand what matters most, explore your options and work out what might be helpful for you.
What to expect when you reach out
1. We’ll get in touch in whatever way works best for you.
2. We’ll have a conversation about what you’re going through and what might help.
3. Together, we’ll work out some next steps that feel manageable.
4. You stay in control of how much or how little you engage.
Co-designed with young people
Young people with lived experience of cancer are at the heart of shaping this program from the ground up.
They’ve told us support needs to feel:
Safe and respectful
Age-appropriate
Honest and real
This feedback shapes everything, from how we communicate and how referrals work to how support is actually delivered.
We also know that survivorship looks different for everyone. We are committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful service for all young people, whatever their background, identity or circumstances.
Meet Noleen
Noleen Ryan
Program Manager and Advocate | Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship Program
Noleen is the Program Manager and Advocate. With deep experience supporting young people and families through complex health, disability and community systems, Noleen’s approach is built on connection, compassion and a belief that every young person deserves to feel genuinely seen, heard and supported. Her goal is simple: a program that’s grounded, human and built around real lives.
Contact Noleen →
Get support
Referrals can be made by young people, family members, friends, health professionals and service providers.
That’s okay. Request a call back and we will reach out. No pressure, just a conversation.
Request a call back
Referrals
Referrals can be made by: Young people and survivors, Parents and caregivers, Hospitals and healthcare professionals, Allied health providers, Schools, universities and educators, Community organisations and support services.
Contact
AYA Cancer Survivorship Program Child Cancer Research Foundation
