As I've alluded to in the post "Off to University", cancer ended up affecting almost every single presupposed decision I had made towards my future. I wasn't 100% certain about my plans after school, but I knew that I wanted to study Philosophy and Ethics, History and English Literature at A2 and then go onto University, probably without a gap year in between and then get a job in TV Broadcasting or writing in some form, at a newspaper or magazine maybe. I wanted to take a gap year in between University and finding a job, but I was mulling over the idea of interRailing, the summer after Year 13 with some friends. The point that I'm trying to convey is, that I had a plan. I had an idea of which direction my life was headed in and while cancer hasn't completely altered that, it has caused some pretty major set backs.
Cancer has meant that a lot of my plans have been put on hold such as interRailing at the end of this school year, or applying to University this year. However, it's not just the obvious things that make the future difficult to plan for. The psychological impact of having cancer makes applying to University's and employment a very daunting task. The CLIC sargent charity have recently released a report about how cancer affects young people's feelings towards their futures and I have attached the link to the bottom of the post if anyone is interested in reading in further detail. However, with statistics such as 74% of the people in the survey being worried about future employment and 75% stating that a lack of confidence is a significant barrier in finding a job, it is clear that the psychological problems created by cancer are very difficult to break down and overcome at this age. I would be lying if I said that I am not scared about employment in the future. What if my cancer stops me from getting the job I want? Or worse still, if it is the reason that I do get the job? I don't want my cancer to be the only thing that I am judged upon!
However, these are all long term consequences of having cancer. The short term ones are equally difficult to deal with. The threat that a common cold could significantly hold up my treatment, is forever looming over me and a constant consideration in all my actions. I have to be so careful not to drink too much and my diet is meant to consist of at least 9 portions of fruit and vegetable per day. I have to think about almost everything I do in relation to how it will affect my treatment and that means that while I can give the appearance of always being happy and well, it is ever present in my thoughts and actions. It never ever goes away and not for one moment can I get complete respite from it.
However, there are some things that I can do to help my future, three important guidelines that I can follow to make sure that I am as well prepared as I can be. They consist of: eating healthily, sleeping well and exercising! Simple to follow but ultimately they could shape how the rest of my treatment goes. At 17 though, it's important to be realistic with my aims so I'll definitely be taking baby steps, especially with 9 portions of fruit and veg per day!
The CLIC sargent report: http://www.clicsargent.org.uk/sites/files/clicsargent/13092a_No_young_person_with_cancer_left_out.pdf
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