About Me
BEN Winterburn was devastated when, still a teenager, he discovered he had cancer.
Now 20, Ben was diagnosed with testicular cancer two years ago. He says it was made all the more difficult by spending some time in wards with elderly patients.
Thankfully the Teenage Cancer Unit came to the rescue, as it provides care specifically for teen cancer sufferers.
The unit, based at St James's Hospital, is partly funded by national charity Teenage Cancer Trust – and now Ben wants to give something back.
Last year he helped out at the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concert, at London's Royal Albert Hall, where he met The Who frontman Roger Daltrey.
Now Ben is set on organising his own gigs locally, with bands and musicians, to raise money for the Leeds unit.
Helped
"I think that being a teenager is hard enough and the Teenage Cancer Trust Unit helped me when I was having chemo.
"At first I was put in a ward full of old people. It didn't help the situation.
I think it just made me feel down at the time but it really helped later on when I found out about the teenage cancer ward where it was all people my own age.
"I was put in there when I started having chemo, which was for three days a week over a few months."
"I want to raise money for that teenage cancer unit and I want to raise awareness for testicular cancer because if that's caught early enough, it can be fine. I still have to go back for check-ups at hospital but I am fine."
Ben was at Park Lane College studying leisure and tourism at the time and had planned to work abroad as a holiday rep.
"I wanted to be a holiday rep and I was gutted that I wouldn't be able to go abroad.
"But what got me through the treatment was having something to aim for.
"It all seemed to go through pretty quickly. I did go and was a holiday rep in Gran Canaria in the end."
Ben, of Foundry Lane, Oakwood, has been given the all clear.
"I am hoping to do one major event every three months"
TEENAGE CANCER: THE FACTSEvery day, up to six teenagers or young adults up to the age of 24 will find out they have cancer.
Until the age of 16 a teenager is likely to be treated in a paediatric ward alongside toddlers.
If the same teen was diagnosed after turning 16 then they are likely to end up in an adult ward with elderly patients.
Young adults contract some of the most aggressive cancers, which can be made worse by their growth spurts.
Cancer accounts for 11 per cent of all deaths amongst 13 to 24 year-olds in the UK.
The Teenage Cancer Trust ensures that teenagers and young adults are diagnosed efficiently, treated effectively, and have the support they need to make it through their treatment and rebuild their lives after cancer.
The TCT's top priority is building units in NHS hospitals specifically for teenagers with cancer.
These units have day rooms, kitchens and chill-out rooms as well as computers with internet access, pool tables, PlayStations, satellite TV and musical instruments.
The TCT has built seven around the UK – so far – including one at St James's Hospital in Leeds."There is no doubt that young patients benefit from being treated in specialist units which focus on the needs of young people. Not only does this ensure that teenagers and young adults have access to specialist technical skills but also it ensures that their psychological and social needs can be met by healthcare professionals with a full understanding and training in this difficult field. The outcome of their treatment and their quality of life improves in specialist facilitiesâ€Professor Peter Selby, St James's University Hospital, Leeds
