In October 2009, Academy Music Group chose Teenage Cancer Trust to be its charity partner. Here you can read regular updates about our developing relationship and how we plan to support the wonderful work of the dedicated team at TCT. 

Every day six young people (13 to 24 year-olds) in the UK are told they have cancer. That’s about 2,100 young people a year and this number is rising.

Until the age of 16 a teenager is likely to be treated in a paediatric ward alongside children. After turning 16, the same teenager would end up in an adult ward with elderly patients. One minute life’s about music, clothes, computer games, college and hanging out with mates. The next minute life is on hold and they’re in a hospital ward with no-one their age and feeling very isolated.

Teenage Cancer Trust understands that young people with cancer require specialist care. Young people have a much better chance in their fight against cancer if they are treated by teenage cancer experts, in an environment tailored to their needs. So TCT fund and build specialist units for young people in NHS hospitals. Their units bring teenagers with cancer together with loads of new friends of their own age so they can support each other. 

As well as the units, TCT fund a number of different services including a family support network scheme, the country’s first Professor of Teenage Cancer Medicine, an education and awareness programme, an annual teenage conference ‘Find Your Sense of Tumour’ and an International Conference.

They estimate that with the 9 units they currently have around the UK, 4 out of ten teenagers diagnosed with cancer now have access to a Teenage Cancer Trust unit. Their aim is to build enough units so that by 2012, every single teenager will be treated on one.

With our support, more young people with cancer will have the chance of a positive outcome. They don't receive any government funding, so rely on voluntary donations from people like us.

Please click back for regular updates. 

Teenage Cancer Trust