Cancer is not a question of age: Every year, around 15,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 39 are diagnosed with cancer in Germany. Around 80 percent of them are cured, but their bodies and souls bear scars that greatly affect the personality development and life planning of those affected. How does such an existential threat affect a young person? What strategies can help them to get through the period of acute illness and to look to the future? What role should the family, but also the social and professional environment ideally play? What needs to be considered for family planning? Where can those affected find financial support?
About these issues speaks Julia Josten with Dr. Adak Pirmorady, Ärztin for psychosomatics and psychotherapy, and with Claudia Liane Neumann. The Honorary Felix Award winner was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 28 and has since volunteered with the German Foundation for Young Adults with Cancer.