Kildare teenage cancer survivors contribute to new book
Cover of the book
TWO teenagers from Kildare are featured in the latest edition of a book detailing 30 cancer survivor stories.
CanTeen Ireland, the national support group for young people between the ages of 12 and 25 years who have or had cancer, celebrates its 35-year milestone with the launch of the third editor of their book, ‘Bad Times, Good Times - Teenage Cancer, Our Story’.
Two members of CanTeen from Kildare who have written their story in the book - Zion Ebokolle (17) from Naas who had a brain tumour, and Kevin Vaskov (19) from Rathangan who had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
At around nine or 10 years old, Zion started experiencing double vision.
Then, by November 2021, when he was 12 years old, he began experiencing dizziness and an increased need to drink water.
So after multiple tests and many doctors not believing something was wrong, Zion went to Temple Street hospital where he stayed for a month.
He was then diagnosed with a germinoma after many MRI scans, a biopsy, spinal fluid extraction and daily blood samples.
He was then transferred to Crumlin where he began his chemo, and he had to travel to Germany for radiotherapy.
Kevin was diagnosed with cancer on 13 November 2023.
He could not go to school or see his friends, as he was immunocompromised with his treatment.
He underwent two rounds of treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma, but he has had a transplant and is now cancer free and trying to rebuild his life.
The book contains some of CanTeen’s members personal experiences and how they are getting on with life now and it aims to help teenagers with cancer to remind them that they are not alone.
Each chapter has a unique title and tells a unique and personal story from Aoibh Maguire’s The Neck of Ya! to Danny Curran’s My Journey Through Cancer and The Ugly Truth and a Beautiful Lie by Mariosa Grace Churchard to The book of Zion by Zion Ebokolle.
CanTeen Manager of Services, Evelyn Griffith, said: ‘“We are deeply grateful to our members for courageously sharing their stories and experiences of living with cancer. Their voices bring strength, hope, and authenticity to every page.”
In today’s world cancer is a commonplace illness that affects thousands of people, and in teenagers (16 to 24), the most commonly diagnosed cancers are brain cancer and CNS tumours. In Ireland, there are on average 369 new cases of cancer diagnosed per year (191 at ages 0-15, 178 at ages 16-24).
While incidence rates are low, they have increased over the past 20 years.
With scientific advancements, better medical treatments, and early detection, the survival rate is positive and has increased to almost 90 per cent in 16- to 24-year-olds over the past ten years.
Founded in 1990 by a dedicated group of health care professionals, CanTeen supports, develops, and empowers young people with cancer.
CanTeen currently has 250 members across Ireland and regularly arranges meet-ups, weekends away, drama sessions and much more. CanTeen recognises the importance of siblings and friends, and so members can bring a brother, sister or friend with them to have some fun away from the check-ups and hospital appointments. CanTeen also runs support meetings where everyone can get the chance to talk and share their stories about cancer, as well as publishing age-appropriate content and information on cancer especially for teenagers. CanTeen is the only support group in Ireland specifically for young people with cancer.
