Every day in the UK, 34 young adults are diagnosed with cancer. 

Our vision is a future where anyone in their 20s or 30s who has heard the words "it's cancer" is given tailored support that matches their unique needs.

We’re the only charity that offers tailored support to this age group of cancer patients and we work to tackle social isolation and improve quality of life through and beyond their treatment. 

Our mission is to provide support, guidance and connection to a community of young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer through unique experiences, specialist advice designed to keep them active during or beyond treatment, informative events and expert information.

Getting diagnosed with cancer is like becoming part of a club you never wanted to join - but know we’re here to help you figure it out. Community is at the heart of what we do. If you’ve felt isolated in the wake of your cancer diagnosis, our community will help you feel connected.

"Cancer took away everything. Trekstock gave a bit of me back."

WHO DO WE HELP? 

• Anyone diagnosed with cancer in their 20s or 30s 
• Anyone in their 20s or 30s who is living with the effects of cancer and its treatments 
• Childhood survivors of cancer living with late effects in their 20s and 30s
• Anyone in their 20s or 30s being treated for MDS, Aplastic Anaemia, Low-Grade glioma, Borderline ovarian cancer or Basal Cell Carcinoma

Trekstock was founded in 2009 and delivers services to young adults across the UK. Through our specially tailored programmes, we’re able to be there for each and every young person, no matter what type of cancer they are diagnosed with or at what stage their diagnosis is.

"During my cancer journey I felt incredibly isolated. I was the youngest in my ward as well as the only minority, which was quite alarming – there had to be others, it was just a case of where. I want to help break the taboo around cancer within the BAME community and also raise awareness of the different types of cancer with Trekstock. Since discovering Trekstock I’ve made some amazing friends as well as getting the chance to add some great life experiences along the way."

Why Trekstock exists 

Every day in the UK, 34 young adults are diagnosed with cancer and face its long-term effects. From this point, they enter a system that is not designed to support them. 

Teenage and Young Adult services finish once a patient reaches their 25th birthday, yet mainstream cancer services cater for an older demographic (50% of cancer diagnoses occur over the age of 70).  

They are often the youngest person on their ward by decades and the support they are offered does not reflect their unique needs. As a result, they feel isolated and unsupported, both by the mainstream services which are not age-appropriate and from the older patients they meet on the ward whose concerns are markedly different from their own.  

No matter what stage or type of cancer, Trekstock’s programmes are designed to improve quality of life for those living with and beyond cancer. 

Trekstock fills the gap in services in three strategic ways: 

• CONNECT - We bring young adults together to create a safe environment, harnessing the power of peer support and addressing feelings of isolation. Our support is delivered online, at in-person events and meet-ups held across the UK. 

• MOVE – We help to improve physical and mental wellbeing by equipping young adults with the tools they need to become active, through a range of specialist programmes run by qualified instructors.  

• INFORM – We provide relevant information delivered by experts via web content, Q&As and live panel discussions to tackle topics that matter to our community. 

Community

Our programmes are designed in collaboration with the young adults we support. Every year, we conduct an impact survey and ask our Young Adult Ambassadors to share their thoughts and ideas.  

The top 4 support needs of our community are:  

• Psychological support (67%) 
• Physical activity (64%) 
• Nutrition and diet (50%) 
• Work and careers (43%)  

All our programmes are designed in partnership with our community. We work to improve physical and emotional well-being, quality of life and provide the tools to help our young adults get moving again both through and beyond treatment. 

Our committee of Young Adult Ambassadors helps Trekstock support hard to reach groups in the BAME and LGBTQI communities, and also help us raise awareness of late effects, male and secondary cancers.