The 'Sky Pad' Teenange Cancer Unit

There is currently no purpose-built, specialist, provision for teenagers with cancer in Wales.  Everyday in the UK, 6 teenagers are diagnosed with cancer, and it is estimated that 66% of those are treated in inadequate facilities, yet there is little attention paid to how young people cope with such a traumatic experience at what is already a difficult stage in their lives.

The Noah’s Ark Appeal is raising £300,000 to enable the £2.2 million Teenage Cancer Trust project to go ahead in Wales.  The Teenage Cancer Trust Unit has been designed especially for teenagers who suffer from cancer and is expected to treat up to 200 patients a year.

The unit will feel a million miles away from the clinical environment of a hospital ward and will be fitted with the recreational facilities that all teenagers will be used to at home – games consoles, TVs, DVDs, keyboards, guitars and computers.  Being able to play on a Playstation with a friend, or watch a favourite film with the family, although a normal, everyday activity for most teenagers, will be a valuable outlet for feelings of distress and loneliness for patients being treated at the unit.

A non-institutional environment will also be conducive to their recovery, providing a distraction from their illness and the chance to talk with other patients their own age.  Most of the teenagers’ treatment will take place on site, but the real strength of the unit will be its close proximity to both children and adult services, giving the perfect opportunity to manage transitions well and keep disruption to a minimum.

There are currently two children’s oncology wards at the new Children’s Hospital for Wales. However, teenagers currently treated here feel patronised by surroundings designed for younger children, further cementing their feelings of being disadvantaged and cut off from their normal lives.  At the same time, being treated with adults deprives young patients the time to enjoy the company of other teenagers, and compounds the feeling that cancer has made them grow up too soon.

Building such a unit with both medical and recreational facilities on site will allow for an increased level of comfort and ‘normality’ for the teenager being treated there.  Anxiety levels will be reduced as a result, and recovery periods shortened.  Teenagers with cancer often feel that their lives must be put on hold to accommodate their illness, but being able to receive treatment at a Teenage Cancer Trust Unit means patients will not be deprived of the years when they should enjoy just simply being a teenager.