When treatment ends, a different journey can begin.
Finishing cancer treatment is a milestone worth celebrating. After months or years of appointments, uncertainty and disruption, everyone hopes life can begin to feel normal again.
But for some young people, life after cancer brings challenges that aren’t always visible. And for the parents, carers, family members, partners and friends who care about them, knowing how best to help isn’t always easy.
You may be wondering what is normal, what to look out for, or how to support someone who is trying to find their feet again.
You don’t have to have all the answers either.
CCRF’s Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship Program supports young people aged 15–25 as they adjust to life after cancer, helping them navigate challenges, connect with appropriate services and build confidence for what comes next.
Get support for a young person →
Understanding life after cancer
Recovery isn’t always as straightforward as it looks.
Cancer can affect much more than physical health. Even when treatment has finished, its impact can continue in different ways.
A young person may be experiencing:
- Physical changes and fatigue: Ongoing tiredness, health concerns or changes to their body.
- Emotional challenges: Anxiety, grief, uncertainty about the future or difficulty processing what they’ve experienced.
- Changes in identity and relationships: Feeling different from friends, navigating relationships or rebuilding confidence.
- Education and employment challenges: Returning to school, university or work after significant disruption.
- Growing independence: Learning to manage healthcare, make decisions and plan for the future.
Some young people experience several of these challenges. Others may experience very few, or find that difficulties emerge months or years after treatment.
There is no single way to experience survivorship.
Supporting someone you care about
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is listen.
It’s natural to want to protect someone who has been through cancer. You may want to solve problems, offer reassurance or help life return to how it was before.
But young people are also developing their independence, making decisions about their future and discovering who they are.
Finding the balance between offering support and giving them space can take time.
- Listen without assumptions. Let them describe their experience in their own words. Try not to assume how they should feel or where they should be in their recovery.
- Respect their independence. Encourage them to have a say in decisions about their health, education, relationships and future.
- Recognise that everyone’s experience is different. There is no set timeline for adjusting to life after cancer.
- Help them explore their options. Sometimes the most useful support is helping someone find information, identify a service or prepare for a conversation.
- Remind them that support is available. Reaching out doesn’t mean they aren’t coping. It means they don’t have to navigate everything alone.
How CCRF can help
Practical support, shaped around the young person.
Our Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Advocate works alongside young people to understand what matters most to them and explore what might help.
Support can include:
- Navigating healthcare appointments and understanding information
- Connecting with appropriate health, mental health and community services
- Exploring education, training and employment options
- Building confidence and self-advocacy skills
- Accessing practical information about everyday life and independence
- Setting goals and planning for the future
The program is individualised, respectful and guided by the young person’s needs, preferences and choices.
Our role is to provide advocacy, navigation and guidance. We are not a clinical or therapeutic service.
Helping young people find their own way forward
Support that respects their voice.
One of the foundations of our program is recognising that young people are the experts in their own experiences.
The program has been shaped with input from young people who have lived through cancer. Their feedback has helped us create an approach that is safe, respectful, age-appropriate, honest and real.
We work alongside young people rather than making decisions for them, helping them build confidence to understand their options, express their needs and take an active role in shaping their future.
For families and friends, that means knowing the young person remains at the centre of the support they receive.
You can help start the conversation
Not sure whether they need support? That’s okay.
You don’t need to know exactly what a young person needs before getting in touch.
Parents, carers, family members and friends can make a referral or contact us to explore whether the program may be helpful.
We’ll work with the young person to understand their circumstances, identify what matters most to them and consider appropriate next steps.
There is no pressure to have everything worked out before reaching out.
What happens next?
1. Reach out. Contact us or submit a referral for a young person.
2. We’ll start a conversation. Our Advocate will explore the young person’s circumstances and what support might be helpful.
3. Together, we’ll explore options. The young person is supported to identify practical next steps that feel manageable.
4. They remain in control. The young person’s preferences guide their involvement and the support they receive.
Meet Noleen
Program Manager and Advocate, Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship Program
With more than 20 years’ experience supporting young people through life’s challenges and transitions, including five years working specifically with young people affected by cancer, Noleen brings extensive knowledge and a warm, practical approach to survivorship support.
Her work is grounded in listening, building trust and helping young people feel heard, understood and supported as they navigate what comes next.
We’re here to help you take the next step.
Whether you’re a parent wondering how to support your child, a partner trying to understand what they’re experiencing, or a friend who wants to help, you can start by reaching out.
You don’t need all the answers. Sometimes a conversation is the best place to begin.
Request a call back
Want to share this information with a young person?
We’ve created a page specifically for young people aged 15–25, explaining what support is available, how the program works and what to expect when reaching out.
View information for young people →
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
Follow-up support, referrals and enquiries are welcome.