Teen fiction and the shadow of cancer

Mal Peet: From John Green's The Fault in our Stars to Jenny Downham's Before I Die, childhood cancer is becoming a taboo-busting subject for teen fiction

What doctors won’t do

From steroids to sleeping tablets, IVF to the flu jab – doctors reveal the treatments they would avoid

The NHS failed my father

When her dad became seriously ill, Hannah Rose had to battle for a proper diagnosis and care. But worse, she says, was the lack of compassion

My brain tumour blog

When she was told she had a brain tumour, Jennie Cohen began to record her thoughts online. Here's how she coped with the diagnosis and surgery