Diagnosed with APL. Very scared as I'm only 16

After having bad fatigue, easy bruising and fainting a few times I told my mum we should go to the doctor (we got an appointment after 2 weeks). They did bloods and other tests as they were concerned and unfortunately I got diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia on January 28th :( 

I am very scared because I'm only 16. I also don't want to have to stay off school and fall behind on my classes. I really don't want my hair to fall out as I've been growing it out for a long time so that is making me feel sad. Does anyone have any tips on helping me stay positive? Thank you!

  • Welcome to Cancer Chat, Timtim, although I'm sorry to hear about the reason that brings you here.

    It sounds like an incredibly tough situation to face but please know you're not alone, we have many others here on the forum who will understand exactly what you're going through and I hope some of them will pop in soon to talk with you.

    The other thing I wanted to mention is this website called CLIC Sargent where you can meet other teenagers who are also going through cancer. Also, you can find a lot of information on Teenage Cancer Trust  about coping with cancer, there is one page in particular that addresses dealing with cancer emotionally. I hope this can help a bit, Timtim.

    And last but not least, please remember we're always here when you need a chat.

    With best wishes,

    Renata, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • As a teacher, I'm just going to chime in and say there's no timeline on education. If you do fall behind, there is nothing to stop you going back to education and catching up later on. I know nobody wants to do that, but in reality, a couple of years is nothing. Plenty of people take exams as adults. My brother teaches in what we call a "grind school" in Ireland; it means he gives extra tuition and so on and he has adults in their 30s and 40s taking exams in subjects they didn't do for their exams the first time around or planning to go back to university to get extra qualifications. I know school is a very significant part of a teenager's life and it is important, but it's not quite as important as it's sometimes made out to be and it's certainly not a "now or never" scenario. The fact you are taking it so seriously means you should be fine.

    Sorry to hear you are dealing with all this, by the way. I hope your school knows so they can support you.