Marcus.
There’s something we want you to see.
Your gift of $250 on May 14 is already sitting in the corner of a young person whose world was just crashed into by cancer.
Marcus, because of you, almost 32,000 free cancer support services reach young Australians in the hardest year of their lives — and 9 in 10 of them feel less alone.
Canteen was founded in 1985 by six young cancer patients, and young people are still at the heart of everything it does — from the boardroom to the retreat. This year it delivered more impact to more young people in more meaningful ways: almost 32,000 vital cancer support services, made possible by 130,000 generous supporters. Because every service is free, no young person facing cancer is ever turned away.
For Saskia, diagnosed at 17 with a rare oral cancer, that support changed everything. She lost 15kg, had to relearn how to speak, and went from a happy, social teenager to someone who barely left her room. Canteen didn't see a patient. It saw a young person who needed her people.
Through one-on-one counselling and the Summer Retreat in Cairns, she snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef and laughed again with people who just got it. The Thrive program gave her the confidence to return to university — where she is now studying to become a nurse.
Thirty years on, the bright Canteen bandanna still ties it all together. This year marked three decades of Bandanna Day, which has raised more than $35 million so that every young person like Saskia can find, in her words, their people.
My cancer was rare, but the pain, confusion, and loss we all felt was something we shared. That retreat changed everything. I found my people.— Saskia, Canteen young person
You helped them find their people.
You joined a number bigger than any one gift.
Only about 7% in every 100 supporters give at the level you did to keep every Canteen service free of charge.
Thank you, Marcus.
An unofficial demo built on Canteen Australia’s public impact data. Headline statistics are sourced (06 - Canteen Australia - Annual Report 2025.pdf); the donor, gift, story and quote are illustrative — not documentary.