Cancer changes everything — not just for a moment, but often for a lifetime.

My son was just 12 years old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer. At 13, he faced the unthinkable: losing his leg to save his life. Now 16 and in remission, he carries invisible scars that run much deeper than the physical ones. While the chemotherapy has stopped and the hospital visits have slowed, the emotional pain hasn’t. He is grieving the version of himself that cancer took away the boy who used to run, play football, and feel free in his body.

Sadly, his story is not unique.

Across the UK, many cancer survivors children, young people, and adults alike face the aftermath of survival without adequate emotional support. Mental health services are stretched, waiting lists are long, and trauma-informed care is often missing entirely from follow-up plans. Survivors are expected to feel grateful, to move forward, to “get back to normal”  but for many, life after cancer feels anything but normal.

What’s often overlooked is the deep loss of identity that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Survivors may lose parts of their body, their fertility, their confidence, their dreams, or their sense of safety in the world. These losses can leave people feeling disconnected, isolated, or overwhelmed by emotions that go unspoken and unsupported.

Cancer care in the UK is world-leading in many ways but when it comes to emotional recovery, we are falling short. We would never let someone leave hospital after surgery without rehabilitation. So why are survivors left to navigate trauma, fear, grief, and identity loss on their own?

Recently, Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine, The Princess of Wales, spoke publicly about the emotional toll of life after treatment during a visit to Colchester Hospital. She said:

“You put on a sort of brave face… treatment’s done, then… it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually the phase afterwards is really, really difficult.”

“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to.”

“You have to find your new normal and that takes time… and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be.” 

She emphasised how valuable it is to have someone to guide survivors through post‑treatment transitions, to help find that “new normal” and support mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Her honesty and experience shine a light on a reality that many cancer survivors know all too well and that many services fail to address.

This must become national policy, not exception.

I am calling on healthcare leaders, educators, and policymakers to commit to:

• Making mental health and emotional wellbeing support a mandatory part of cancer aftercare for all ages;
• Embedding trauma-informed approaches within survivorship pathways;
• Recognising that recovery is not just physical, it’s also emotional, psychological, and deeply personal.

We owe it to every survivor, child, teenager, adult, to offer the kind of compassionate, structured support that allows them to rebuild their lives with dignity, strength, and hope.

Please sign this petition and help advocate for a more holistic, human approach to cancer recovery, one that truly sees and supports the whole person.

With love and hope,

Vicky