The experience of a person who has had cancer in childhood, is traumatic for both, the patient and his family. Because of the advanced medicine, most (about 80%) children with cancer are cured. But regardless of the fact, that the path to recovery is long and hard, "healing" does not guarantee, that the disease would not break out again. Radiation and other aggressive treatments often have more or less severe consequences on a child's developing body. They also affect the concentration, interpersonal relationships, patient's self-image; spending time in hospital for a child also means absence from school for several months or years, which affects child's education; people who have been treated for cancer in childhood are often less socialized and discriminated against (eg when looking for a job).
In the empirical part of my assignment, I dealt in more detail with people who have had a brain tumor in their childhood, because the consequences of treating it are the worst. I have tried to identify some causal links between their illness and the achievement of both personal (home, family, relationships,…) and professional (education, employment, career,…) goals. I was also interested in how the rights of people with cancer in their childhood, which are guaranteed to them from social security and labor law, are realized in practice, how big is the awareness among patients about these rights, how they evaluate public services and what would have to change at professional and legislative level in order to improve the situation of people who have had cancer in their childhood. With the help of the research, I have found that the consequences of childhood brain cancer have a major impact on some important life decisions and are often an obstacle on the path to independence. People face discrimination in employment and often resort to disability retirement, mainly because of security and a guaranteed monthly income. They also do not receive psychosocial support and help from a social worker, because it is inaccessible to them due to various, mostly formal circumstances, systemically poorly regulated, so patients do not even know who to turn to for support and help.
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