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Krebshilfe Steiermark: Those affected are getting younger and younger

People in Styria are being diagnosed with cancer at increasingly younger ages(Bild: Graphicroyalty)

50,000 people in Styria are currently living with cancer, 40 percent of whom are under 65—and this percentage is growing. Cancer Aid supports them and their families and needs your donation to do so.

The numbers have remained constant for years: About 50,000 people in Styria are living with cancer, and about 7,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. But one trend is shocking to Christian Scherer, executive director of Cancer Support Styria: “Cancer patients are getting younger and younger. In the past, it mainly affected grandparents in families; today, it’s increasingly mothers and fathers,” he says.

This also means that Cancer Aid needs to offer new counseling services: “For example, there’s a four-year-old who stops talking because she blames herself for her dad’s cancer. Or the teenager going through puberty who believes he’s no longer entitled to a carefree youth because he has to be there for his sick mom.”

Those affected are getting younger and younger
And the fact that cancer patients are getting younger also has far-reaching financial consequences. About 40 percent of those affected are between the ages of 16 and 65 and are therefore of working age. “No matter how good the care is, a disease will always cost money. That’s why we have an emergency relief fund for particularly difficult cases,” says Scherer.

Demand is rising steadily. “That’s why it’s also important that we raise donations so we can continue to offer our services free of charge.” He also has a request for policymakers: “There is an urgent need for protection against termination for cancer patients. It would also be important to introduce a part-time reintegration program so that people who have overcome the disease can gradually return to the workforce.”

Donations to: Austrian Cancer Aid Styria, 
IBAN: AT21 2081 5012 0082 2995