Charity's Jersey cancer nurse 'making young lives better'

A UK cancer charity's specialist role in Jersey has changed young lives for the better since it was set up in the island, managers say.

Skye Newton is the Teenage Cancer Trust's clinical nurse specialist.

The role started in 2019 to help youngsters going through cancer with issues they faced outside of hospital in places such as school or work.

Ms Newton has been praised by the charity, health bosses and patients' families for expanding local support.

Oncology unit manager Rachel Conway said the work had been "game-changing for the teenagers and the young adults".

She said: "They absolutely thrive with the one-to-one interaction, and they love they can FaceTime or WhatsApp her because that's better for their lifestyle while they're being treated."

The UK's Health Security Agency said cancer was "more common in young males", with about one in every 420 boys under the age of 15 developing cancer, compared to one in 490 girls.

For young people aged 15-24, it was one in every 360 for males and one in 380 for females.

In Jersey, statistics released in 2020 showed that an average of 1,013 cancers were registered among all age groups between 2012 and 2016.

The Teenage Cancer Trust said Ms Newton had supported about 20 young people and their families since starting.

Amy Harding, of the trust, said the nursing support made a huge difference to help ill youngsters.

She said: "Over the past 14 years, fundraisers in Jersey have raised over £2m for us, but there's still much more work to be done.

"We need to say thank you to Skye because, if it wasn't for her dedication and passion, we know these young people would be facing cancer and treatments feeling isolated."

Ms Newton said it meant a lot when families had contacted her directly to thank her for her work.

She said: "I've helped with some really moving things over the last few years, like helping someone enjoy their last wish.

"Just seeing how happy that makes them is really rewarding for me.

"You have more time as a clinical nurse specialist to get to know your patients thoroughly and to help them more through their cancer journey."

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