Sunderland man says cancer diagnosis at 19 left him feeling alone
Jake Adams always dreamed of being a sports journalist, but while studying for his qualification at university in 2019 he was diagnosed with brain cancer at 19. After undergoing surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, he was told he was tumour free. But his cancer returned and is now incurable.Every year, about 2,200 teenagers and young adults are diagnosed with cancer in the UK.April is Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month, and Jake is calling for more support for younger cancer patients as he battles with loneliness and isolation.
The now 24-year-old remembers the day he was rushed to hospital in Sunderland. After months of headaches and feeling tired and sick, he was at work when his legs "were stuck in slow motion" and he started hallucinating.
Jake's mother Bev says he had called from work when his colleague grabbed the phone and said they were calling an ambulance. "I said, 'no, I'll come and get him, it will be quicker'. We went to A&E in Sunderland. The doctor just said 'I am so sorry'."
Bev didn't know why he was apologising, but later it was confirmed Jake had a brain tumour called medulloblastoma."It was a bomb of bad news," Jake says. "Just hearing that I've got a brain tumour was almost like a death sentence."He had five surgeries in about seven weeks, Bev says, then radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In September 2020, they got the "lovely" news that Jake was tumour free."We thought he had nailed it," Bev says.But the worst news was to come.
In December 2023, a new tumour was found, this time in Jake's spine. Doctors confirmed it was metastatic cancer, meaning it had spread, and could not be cured. The news that his cancer was now incurable was devastating for Jake."I was distraught...you almost jump to the fact that 'I'm going to die in the next few months'." Doctors were still able to treat the spinal tumour and they continue to scan Jake regularly.
'Life is not guaranteed'
Jake says it is now hard to see the future, and he now lives each day to its fullest."The big lesson has been that life isn't guaranteed to be this long journey of 70 or 80 years," he says.But on reflecting how his life was put "on pause" at 19, he says he felt left behind, as others his age got on with living their lives. Jake says he feels "isolated" and that it was "just me at times". "You get the horrible feeling of loneliness," he says.
Cancer Research UK says young people aged 19 to 24 should have access to age-appropriate treatment areas and support. It says this might be in their local hospital or at a treatment centre. Helen Gravestock, director of policy and influencing at the Young Lives vs Cancer charity, says: "Recent research found that many young people with cancer, like Jake, struggle with loneliness and have a strong need for connection."
Jake says he had "a massive passion for sports", and played rugby and loved football.He was studying sports journalism at university and hoped he would have a family of his own one day. He says he had to let go of those dreams - but is is hanging on to one.
While he feels he can't have a relationship, he does have a love - and it is an unusual one for a Sunderland lad. For most of his life, he has been devoted to Arsenal FC and his wish is to one day meet the Arsenal players. "I know it sounds daft, being 24 and wanting to meet your football heroes...but it's the love I have for the club," he says.If he ever got that chance, would he also grasp the opportunity to interview them and fulfil that dream of being a sports reporter, after all?
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