POCKET CLASS: Cancer doesn’t wait. Neither should care for young adults.

Cases of young adult cancers are rising — up over seventy-five percent since the nineties. 

Yet only about one percent of research funding focuses on cancer care and young people.

“This is far from enough,” says Dr. Cheryl Heykoop, School of Leadership associate professor and founder of Anew, a research collaborative at Royal Roads University working to reshape cancer care for all adolescents and young adults in BC.

At 34, she found herself trying to reimagine her life – her career, her future family and more – all while navigating a cancer diagnosis most often seen in people almost twice her age.

“I remember sitting in chemo surrounded by people who could be my grandparents,” she says. “When I asked about my future fertility, it was difficult to find answers.”

It was an isolating experience shared by many adolescents and young adults in BC with cancer.

In her RRU Pocket Class, she explores what meaningful, supportive cancer care can look like for young people — and how Anew is working to meet the urgent need for care that truly reflects their lives.

With your help, by 2028, residents of Greater Victoria will access dedicated adolescent and young adult cancer care including: counselling, fertility guidance, peer support and financial help. Learn how you can help and how you can double your impact today.