OncoLog, Volume 50, Number 11, November 2005 Page: 3
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self-esteem issues, and uncertainty
about the future," said Dr. Askins.
"And, like all young adults, they also
struggle with concerns about dating
and marriage, relationships with
peers, becoming independent from
parents, and assuming responsibility
for their own health care." Through
the AYA Program, multiple resources
from across the institution and, when
necessary, from within the communi-
ty, are mobilized to provide assistance
in all of these areas.
"It is especially important for
young patients to share experiences
and coping skills with peers when
they are undergoing cancer therapy,
which can be a lonely and stressful
time," said Dr. Askins. "We encour-
age socialization and provide special
accommodations, such as Kim's
Place, to encourage interaction."
Other year-round social activities
sponsored through the program
include outings to theaters,
festivals, professional sports events,
multicultural celebrations, and theme
parks; a weeklong camping trip to
Camp AOK (Anderson's Older Kids);
and an annual trip to the slopes
where patients who have lost a limb
to cancer can learn to ski.
A concern for adolescent and
young adult cancer patients is having
their education interrupted while
they undergo treatment. "These
young men and women worry about
missing school and falling behind intheir coursework, whether they are
enrolled in grade school, college, or
trade school," Dr. Askins said. "We
counsel students on the many options
that can allow them to continue their
education without interruption."
Those options include a homebound
program, continued participation in
their community-based schools, or
participation in the M. D. Anderson
hospital school, offered in collabora-
tion with the Houston Independent
School District.
Special programs are offered to
help international students continue
their education and to acclimate to
the hospital milieu. In addition to
grade-level coursework, students
can participate in creative arts and
physical fitness classes. Counselors
tutor patients preparing for college
entrance exams and help them com-
plete applications. A special feature
of the education program is its career
planning and vocational guidance
segment, through which patients,
including those with cognitive or
physical impairments, can explore
appropriate job opportunities.
Paramount among the concerns
of adolescents and young adults with
cancer are body image and sexuality.
At the critical age when physical
appearance is so important, these
patients are losing their hair, wearing
indwelling medi-ports, gaining or
losing weight, and undergoing surger-
ies that are often disfiguring. Likewise,just as their sexual identities are
evolving, they find themselves strug-
gling with the possibility of impaired
sexual function and infertility.
"These are very sensitive issues,
and we approach our patients with
compassion and respect," said
Dr. Askins. "Counselors meet with
adolescents and young adults
separately in weekly group sessions
held at Kim's Place. We encourage
them to form social-support networks
in which they can express personal
feelings about the experience of
cancer and about cosmetic and
functional changes. We advise them
about establishing and maintaining
relationships and provide information
to help them make decisions about
fertility, if required." Dr. Askins said.
Dr. Askins explained that it is
essential to assess for and address
potential problems and relevant issues
in each of these patients early on.
"At M. D. Anderson, the Adolescent
and Young Adult Program is a sort of
advocacy group. Our goal is to help
these young people develop the
psychological and social foundation
they will need to cope with the
quality-of-life concerns cancer
presents-and to do that in a way
that makes them feel confident and
comfortable." "
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact
Dr. Kleinerman at (713) 792-8110 or
Dr. Askins at (713) 794-4467.It is especially important
for young patients to share experi-
ences and coping skills with peers
when they are undergoing cancer
therapy, which can be a lonely and
stressful time."
- Dr. Martha A. AskinsOncoLog * November 2005 - 3
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University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. OncoLog, Volume 50, Number 11, November 2005, periodical, November 2005; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth902848/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.