Hi, my name is Katie. I'm a Canteen youth ambassador. My family includes my dad, older sister and younger brother.
It was April 2006 when my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember my life changing dramatically as my siblings and I moved up to Darwin to live with my grandparents. Her health deteriorated and eventually, she passed away in September 2007. It was in 2013, when cancer came into my life again when my nanna was diagnosed, and she too passed away later on that year. It was my nanna who convinced my older sister and I to join Canteen in 2013.
Joining Canteen is something that I will forever be grateful for. I found a place where other young people understood what I was going through and a place where I learnt to properly grieve. The peer support and other services Canteen offers are indescribable and were there when I truly needed it.
Canteen is an organisation that provides so much support and opportunities to its young people and being a Youth Ambassador enables me to raise awareness for Canteen. It's also so rewarding to be able to give back to an organisation that has helped me so much.
