The unique role helping AYA cancer patients stay connected to school and work
19 August 2025
Aside from their diagnosis, one of the first things a young person with cancer worries about is what will happen with their schooling, according to Victorian Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Service education and vocation consultant, Anna Gilkison.
Anna’s role supporting 15-25-year-old patients with staying connected to their education or work was recently showcased in an article in the Herald Sun.
AYA Youth Cancer Service education and vocation consultant Anna Gilkison and former patient Maisie. Image courtesy of David Crosling, Herald Sun
A cancer diagnosis during these crucial formative years is undoubtedly challenging, but Anna told the Herald Sun she likes to point out to patients and their families it doesn’t have to “derail everything”.
“There’s a myth I’m always trying to bust – there is often really well-meaning advice from medical clinicians who say ‘don’t worry about school, just focus on getting better’,” Anna said.
“(That) can be almost detrimental to a young person to have their plans and dreams dismissed.
“I know that’s not what the intention is but being able to negotiate with a young person and their school the right support can be incredibly helpful for them.”
Anna’s role is the only one of its kind in the state and sits within the multi-disciplinary AYA Cancer Service team at Peter Mac supporting patients wherever they’re receiving their medical treatment.
She said it’s important to raise awareness so patients, schools and health professionals realise such services exist and enable more young people to access support to plan for their life after treatment.
Anna, who worked as a teacher for 10 years before taking up her position at Peter Mac, works with a patient’s school to help them stay up-to-date in the classroom while on treatment. She also highlights there is more than one pathway for finishing school and pursuing a chosen career.
“Not everybody needs to follow the mould of going through their VCE, and I think the recent changes and the VCE Vocational Major model has helped a lot of patients,” she said.
“I always say, I like to make a plan A and then a plan B, C, D, E, F and G.”
Anna says it’s incredibly rewarding to help students stay connected to their studies and future aspirations, while equipping schools with the tools to best support these young people.
Nineteen-year-old Maisie shared how Anna helped her continue her studies when she was diagnosed with cancer at age 16.
“She helped me decide whether I wanted to continue VCE that year or put a pause on it until I was better,” Maisie, who is now studying a media and communications degree, said. “She gave me lots of options to choose from and really helped me work out what would be best for me to finish school.”