For the fourth time in a row the National AYA (Adolescents & Young Adults) ‘Jong & Kanker’ Platform, together with the Dutch hyacinth growers, is organising a HAYAcintenactie in thirteen hospitals on Friday January 12. Through selling hyacinths, the organisation wants to raise as much money as possible for young people in the prime of their life with cancer. It's not a well known fact that cancer also occurs in young people. The action aims to improve the care for those in this group.
HAYAcinten
In 2015 the hyacinth growers and flower auction Royal FloraHolland linked together with the Nationaal AYA ‘Jong & Kanker’ Platform. Hyacinth growers are also making 5,000 bunches of hyacinths available for sale in 2018 without profit. Royal FloraHolland, van der Slot transport, Broekhof, Twinpack (packaging) and Holbox (promotion) also support this initiative without profit for themselves. Roche NL volunteers help AYA's and care professionals with the sales.
The day starts at the flower auction Royal FloraHolland in Rijnsburg with the sale of the first cart of hyancinths. Then thirteen hospitals linked to the Nationaal AYA ' Jong & Kanker' Platform take over and the sales start at fifteen locations at 9:30: AMC, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and VUmc in Amsterdam, Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep locatie Alkmaar and Den Helder, LUMC in Leiden, MUMC in Maastricht, ETZ locatie Elisabeth and Twee Steden Ziekenhuis in Tilburg, UMCG Groningen, UMC Utrecht, Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis 's-Hertogenbosch, Rijnstate Arnhem, HMC Den Haag and the Radboudumc in Nijmegen.
Recognition of AYA
Every year around 2,700 adolescent young adults (AYA) between the ages of 18-35 are told they have cancer. AYA's need age specific treatments and (after) care in which medical-technical care coincides with psycho social care from diagnosis to far afterwards. The AYA 'Jong & Kanker' Platform is a network of care professionals who work with young adults with cancer for the best possible care. Sophia Sleeman (24 years old): "I got cancer when I was 18 and my world turned upside down. I was looking for a place in the hospital where I could go with questions about sexuality, fertility, studies and relationships. All things that you run into when you're young and get cancer. This is why I'm now working for the Nationaal AYA ‘Jong & Kanker’ Platform.” There are now four AYA policies active: in the Radboudumc, UMCU, Erasmus MC and LUMC. The final goal is to have AYA available everywhere in the Netherlands.
source: Royal FloraHolland