Specialist cancer support helping young people like Melia

Twenty-three-year-old Melia Hink’s life changed suddenly in November 2024, when persistent and severe back pain led to scans, a biopsy, and a diagnosis of acute osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer.

Due to the rarity and complexity of her diagnosis, Miss Hinks’ treatment was split between Townsville University Hospital (TUH) and Brisbane.

Over nine months she underwent six rounds of intensive chemotherapy followed by a 12-hour spinal operation involving a spinal fusion and muscle relocation.

Within weeks, Miss Hinks had to begin fertility preservation and IVF before starting chemotherapy, decisions she never expected to face in her early twenties.

“Life moved at an extraordinary speed following my diagnosis,” Miss Hinks said.

“I remember the first thing I thought was I don’t want to die; there’s so much life I haven’t lived yet.

“And from there I was just in a survival mindset and taking every step possible to get through each day.”

Miss Hinks received outpatient care through the TUH oncology unit and was supported by the unit’s dedicated youth cancer team as part of the Queensland Youth Cancer Service (QYCS), a statewide partnership delivering care for young people aged 15-25.

Youth cancer team care coordinator Linda Logan said the TUH team played a vital role in ensuring young people like Melia were not only supported through treatment, but empowered to recover, rebuild, and thrive beyond cancer.

“The youth cancer team is a dedicated service delivering coordinated clinical care alongside psychosocial support, practical guidance, and advocacy for young people and their families,” Ms Logan said.

“We take a holistic approach with the patient at the centre of everything we do, to ensure the voices of the young people we support are at the forefront of care planning.

“With a 50 per cent rise in youth cancer diagnoses since the 1980s and significant long-term impacts for young people, there is a clear need for this sort of age-appropriate, multidisciplinary care.”

Miss Hinks said she doesn’t know how she would have gotten through her treatment without the team.

“Without the team and Linda my whole experience would have been so much harder, they guided me through everything,” Miss Hinks said.

“I didn’t have the mental capacity to question anything, so having someone organise appointments, medications, and travel meant all I had to do was show up.

“People my age are too old for paediatrics and too young for adult specific care so it’s a really confronting space to be in, and I can’t imagine how much more confronting it would have been if this type of support wasn’t available.”

Miss Hinks completed her treatment in August 2025 and is now cancer free.

Back at university studying primary education, Miss Hinks said she hoped to become a hospital teacher so she could support young patients in a similar spot to where she once was.

“My perspective on life has really changed, I have such a deep appreciation for everyday activities that are easy to take for granted,” Miss Hinks said.

“I’m adjusting to life after cancer, you don’t just snap back to who you were, you have to learn to embrace a new version of yourself.”

Miss Hinks said it was important for young people facing cancer to remember to take it day by day.

“Like my dad told me when I was diagnosed, whatever monster walks through the door, you deal with it when you get to it,” she said.

April is Youth Cancer Awareness Month (YCAM), led by Canteen Australia, which shines a spotlight on the unique and growing impact of cancer on young people across the country.