|  |  | School and college |
The treatment for blood cancers, as with many types of cancer treatment, will inevitably change your everyday routine. This can limit the time and effort you can put into school or college work. Someone will need to liaise with your school/college about any special requirements you have such as diet.
This person can be:
 | You |
| A parent or other relative |
| A specialised support nurse |
The contact at your school/college may be:
| A school nurse |
| A designated teacher with whom you feel comfortable |
| Your personal tutor at college |
You can decide who knows about your illness. However, you should bear in mind who needs to know. For example, if there is a rule about not wearing hats at school, it would be useful to let the teachers know why you would like to wear one in advance to avoid any uncomfortable misunderstandings.
One of the most important things your school needs to know is how to deal with infections, especially chickenpox. It is vital that you do not come into contact with someone with chickenpox so the school should set up an ‘alert system’ and always get other students’ parents to inform the school if their child has chicken pox, and keep you informed.
You can discuss with your teachers a plan for your education while you are being treated for blood cancer. It may include flexible timetabling so you only have to go to school for core subjects or if you are preparing for exams then you can devise a schedule to attend the most important lessons, or when you feel that you are able.
Throughout the entire treatment process you are still part of your school, even if you are not there all the time. Your teachers should provide you with schoolwork if you feel up to doing it. Friends from school/college can provide a great support network, helping to keep you on the ball with your studies.
If you miss a lot of lessons you may be asked to retake that year at school, although this is avoided whenever possible.
Going off to college or university can be quite daunting for anyone but can it be really scary if you’ve just been treated for cancer. Some people find they feel more attached to their families after their treatment and opt to study closer to home while others see going away from home as a chance to regain independence. Either way, it doesn’t just have to be a scary time; it can be exciting too.
| University |
Treatment for blood cancers will cause a disturbance to your everyday routine but that doesn’t mean you will have to give everything up.
Universities have a reasonably flexible timetable and much of the study can be carried out with minimal guidance. It is essential to keep your personal tutor informed so that they can offer you the greatest amount of support possible. The students union can be a good place to look for advice and support too.
As a university student, you will find it relatively easy to defer for a year if necessary, many students do study-years abroad or a year in industry and re-enter their course with a different group of peers. While this may appear daunting, there will be many other people in a similar position. |
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| | "I kept in touch with my school regularly with letters and video when I was in hospital and my nurse explained what precautions they should take"
"My personal tutor at college was amazing; organising exam concessions and helping me to stay up to date as I was only well enough to attend about 50% of the time. I also had a note-taker in all my lessons, which made college much less strenuous"
"I had to take a year off school the first time round, and five months off during my A-levels when I relapsed. I had to work really hard"
"I deferred for one year while I was having my treatment. Although my friends were still at University, when I went back I made a real effort to get to know the people in my year as I was aware that the next year my old friends would have moved on"
Cancer Research UK have produced a guide for returning to school for children and younger teenagers. You can access the guide by clicking on this link Welcome Back
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