SA’s first youth cancer centre announced for RAH

SA’s first youth cancer centre is set to be built in Adelaide, offering specialised treatment and allied health services, as well as “social havens” for youth patients.

The Sony Foundation has announced South Australia’s first centre dedicated to the treatment and wellbeing of youth cancer patients will be built at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Premier Peter Malinauskas has announced the state government will chip in $50,000 for the centre after the Sony Foundation committed to building it.

The announcement was made at a fundraiser for the centre attended by about 400 people at Adelaide Oval.

Assisting cancer patients aged 15 to 29 from SA and the Northern Territory, it will be the sixth You Can centre in Australia; there are already centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.

Sony Foundation’s Melbourne You Can Centre Picture: Supplied

Premier Peter Malinauskas is among the high-profile attendees at Adelaide’s inaugural Adelaide4Ward fundraiser, hosted by the foundation, at Adelaide Oval.

The charity luncheon, where Nine Network’s Sylvia Jeffreys is MC, is also featuring performances by Daryl Braithwaite and Royston Noell. Braithwaite is set to thrill the guests with his signature hit, Horses.

Aussie rocker Daryl Braithwaite. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

There will also be a “fireside chat” with the Premier, London bombing survivor and artist Gill Hicks and cricketing great Travis Head, moderated by Nick Ryan.

Kahla Gardoll, from Peterborough, is also speaking about how she has been helped by the foundation. With its support, the 21-year-old is staying at the Quest Apartment Hotel while she receives treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia.

Kahla Gardoll, 21. Picture: Supplied

The foundation started its You Can youth initiative in 2010 after a Senate Inquiry into

Australian cancer care highlighted the need for young people diagnosed with cancer to have age-appropriate spaces and services in hospitals.

They are centres for specialised treatment and allied health services, but also “social havens” for youth cancer patients. For this reason they have state-of-the-art technology and entertainment such as pictures theatres, gaming spaces and music studios, where patients can socialise.

Sony Foundation’s Sydney You Can centre Picture: Supplied

Workshops on survivorship, creative therapies, education and employment are also available.

Sony Foundation CEO Sophie Ryan said the “world-class” centre would be a “game changer”.

“More 15-29-year-olds are diagnosed with cancer than children each year, yet their specific needs are often overlooked, resulting in higher mortality rates and disproportionate financial and psychosocial burdens, which during such formative years has a long-lasting impact,” she said.

Sony Foundation’s Brisbane You Can Centre Picture: Supplied

“Adelaide is a hub for youth cancer care for patients across South Australia and Northern Territory, with this cohort facing rare and aggressive cancers that require lengthy, complex and specialised treatment … (the centre) will provide a haven for youth cancer patients enabling them the best chances of surviving and thriving post their cancer treatment.”

To learn more about Sony Foundation’s Adelaide4Ward visit sonyfoundation.org/event/adelaide-4-ward