April 2026 Newsletter

Hello, AYA Can community!

Spring has arrived, and with it comes a pivotal moment for our community: AYA Cancer Awareness Week. This month, we are turning up the volume to ensure that adolescents and young adults facing cancer are seen, heard, and supported.

Throughout April, we’re amplifying the voices that matter most. We invite you to follow us on Instagram (@ayacan_cancer) and check out our LinkedIn profile, where we’ll be sharing powerful feature stories from survivors, patients, and advocates. These stories highlight the unique realities of the AYA experience and the strength found within our network.

Let’s make some noise together. Whether you share a post, attend an event, or simply start a conversation, your support ensures that no young adult has to face their diagnosis alone.

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Here are 10 things you can do to support AYA’s today:

  1. AYA Can Updates
    • Community Call: Our next call will be April 17, 2026 at 12 PM EST 
    • We have joined the Canadian Immunocompromised Advocacy Network (CIAN)! More information on them can be found here. 
  1. News
    • CCRAN Continues to Advocate for Lowering Colorectal Cancer Screening Age to 45 Following Canadian Cancer Society Statement (Read the article HERE)
    • Government of Canada invests $3 million to strengthen primary care research (Read the article HERE)
    • A European website for AYA resources (Find more information HERE)
    • Article: Development of a core outcome set for adolescents and young adults with cancer  (Read the article HERE)
    • Article: Knowledge Representation of a Multicenter Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Infrastructure: Development of the STRONG AYA Knowledge Graph (Read the article HERE)
    • Article: Minimum standards of specialist adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer care units: recommendations and implementation roadmap  (Read the article HERE)
    • Article: On behalf of Cheryl-Anne Sinoneau at CML Society (Read the article HERE)
    • Other patient opportunities rounded up by YACC can be found HERE 
  1. Adolescent & Young Adult Program of Ontario (see attached)
    • AYA Fundraiser: I have attached a Save the Date for our fundraising event “Lights up for AYA” on April 12th at Second City in Toronto. Please reach out if you would like to be contacted when registration opens.
    • AYA Healthcare Provider Education Days:
  1. Plateforme de recherche psychosociale en oncologie pédiatrique du Québec (POP-Qc)/Quebec Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology Research Platform (POP-Qc) (see attached in French and English)
    Join POP-Qc, Quebec’s new pediatric psychosocial oncology research platform, and connect with researchers, clinicians, and students working to improve the quality of life for children with cancer and their families. Collaborate, share knowledge, and access support for innovative research projects across the province!
    Register here: Inscription à la plateforme de recherche POP-Qc  – Remplir le formulaire
  1. Gilda’s Toronto (see attached)
    • Support Groups:
      • Spring Support Groups will start the week of April 13, 2026. We are now welcoming referrals. To access Gilda’s support groups, please complete our membership form here: Become a Member – Gilda’s Toronto. A few of our support groups have a waitlist. Please complete the membership forms to stay informed about spring and fall support group availability.
      • Our Writing Through Cancer will start again this spring. We do have a waitlist currently, and we are accepting interest for the fall season. 
      • We are offering a new support group in partnership with POGO: Life After Treatment Pediatric Parent Support Group
  1. April Programs at ReThink Breast Cancer
  1. ACCESS – National Biobanking Network survey (see attached)
    I’m reaching out from ACCESS about the National Biobanking Network, an initiative aiming to accelerate CAYA cancer research in collaboration with the biobanking community across Canada. The Biobanking Network team have launched a needs assessment survey for biobankers, researchers, persons with lived experience (PWLE), healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders to identify priorities and gaps. It focuses on expanding participation, developing a virtual biobanking platform, and improving resources, education, sample visibility, accessibility, and capacity for biospecimen collection and annotation. Input from the survey will help inform the Biobanking Network’s activities and deliverables.

    To access the Needs Assessment Survey:     https://redcap.albertahealthservices.ca/surveys/
    (access code: AEXTHCJYJ)
  1. Pink Pearl Peer Support Training (see attached)
    We’re seeking new mentors to join our Peer Support Program to lend a listening ear for self-identifying young women facing cancer. This June, join us for our training to learn what peer support is, how to set effective boundaries & share your story.⁠⁠APPLY TODAY: pinkpearlcanada.org/peer-support

    Our next online training is June 2, 9 & 16th, 2026 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST⁠
    *This training is intended for self-identifying young women between the ages of 18-40 who have or are facing any type of cancer and would like to become a Peer Supporter with Pink Pearl Canada. ⁠You must complete the training to be a peer supporter with us.

  1. Wellwood Spring and Summer 2026 Programs (see attached)

    Program Formats:

    • In Person: Sessions are held at the community site at 501 Sanatorium Road, Hamilton, ON, L9C 0C3.
    • Virtual: Sessions will be held over Zoom.
    • Hybrid: Sessions are offered in both virtual and in person formats.

      If you are interested in receiving updates about these programs, or would like to learn more, please email: info@wellwood.ca

      For additional information about Wellwood, or to see our current program offerings, visit us on our website: Wellwood

      All programs are available at no cost to everyone affected by cancer.

  1. AYA Scanxiety at Lakehead University (see attached)
    Cancer-related imaging scans provide important information regarding diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship status. At the same time, the process of undergoing a scan and receiving the results can be distressing and anxiety-provoking.

    Researchers at Lakehead University are looking for young adults (ages 18-39) who have had cancer to share their experiences with scans and scanxiety, the stress, fear, or worry often felt in the time before, during, or leading up to the results for cancer-related medical imaging. Your insights may help improve care for young people affected by cancer.

    If you’ve completed active cancer treatment in the past 5 years and had a cancer-related scan in the past year, you may be eligible to take part in a focus group and brief survey. Participants will receive a $50 gift card for their time.
    Complete the brief eligibility survey here.  

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If you have anything you’d like us to let the AYA CAN community know about, please send it to us and we will include it in our next newsletter.

Thank you for reading!