Last year, Thuy Linh, a 32-year-old mother from Dong Da, was devastated when she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer on the day her son turned one year old. During a routine health check, she discovered unusual signs and went to Hanoi Medical University Hospital for a biopsy. The result was thyroid papillary carcinoma, which had spread to the lymph nodes. The team recommended surgery and treatment for the tumor.
The news came as a shock to Linh, who believed that cancer was a disease of the elderly. She was a healthy person who exercised regularly, ate lots of fiber, and limited sugar and fast food. She struggled to accept that she had cancer because she thought it was impossible for someone like her to get sick. However, after checking in three other hospitals, she received the same diagnosis.
When Linh learned that targeted medicine could help her fight the cancer but cost up to hundreds of millions of dong or even billions, she collapsed under the financial burden of cancer treatment. Health insurance did not cover this new medicine because it was too expensive. Linh’s concerns about the financial impact of her diagnosis were compounded by her aging parents in the countryside whom she needed to support.
Similarly, Hai Anh, a marketing employee in her early thirties, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and required surgery and chemotherapy. Growing up in a family of divorced parents, she longed for love and companionship but felt shattered when faced with this unexpected news at such a young age. Despite undergoing treatment, Hai Anh struggled with physical and emotional side effects of cancer while also trying to keep up with work demands.
Young people are increasingly being diagnosed with cancer due to lifestyle factors such as smoking and poor nutrition habits despite previous beliefs that cancer is an old person’s disease. Young cancer patients face unique challenges such as mental health struggles like depression and anxiety while also facing financial burdens from high-cost treatments and medications not covered by health insurance. Healthcare professionals emphasize the importance of mental health support along with education on treatment side effects and lifestyle changes for cancer prevention.
In conclusion, young people battling cancer face significant challenges that require comprehensive support from healthcare providers and society at large. By raising awareness about these issues and improving access to care while prioritizing mental health support, we can better assist young people in their journey towards recovery and healing from this devastating disease.