Parkins, Jennifer2008-12-302008-12-3020082008-12-30http://hdl.handle.net/1828/1313The purpose of this research was to learn about the needs of young adults living with newly diagnosed cancer and undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment in order to enhance oncology care providers’ understanding of these needs. This was a qualitative investigation of the perspectives of young adults with cancer using interpretation description methodology (Thorne, 2008). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven individuals to gain a deeper insight into the subjective experience of being a young adult with cancer with consideration of quality of life issues. Eight interpretive themes were revealed from the data: It Is Hard Being a Parent with Cancer, Symptom Management Is a Challenge, Social Support is Imperative, Information Access is Essential, Fear of Recurrence and Mortality, Trusting Relationships with Health Care Professionals Make a Difference, Financial Worries, and Follow Up Care. These concepts represent a critical analysis which can serve to guide oncology care and oncology nursing practice.enAvailable to the World Wide Webyoung adultscancerinterpretive descriptionUVic Subject Index::Sciences and Engineering::Health Sciences::NursingThesis