HAVING CHOICE BRINGS HOPE FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Date: 19 July 2023

Sony Foundation believes fertility preservation should be part of the treatment plan for any young person with cancer and until the entire process and cost is covered on a national scale, innovative programs like You Can Fertility are committed to helping bridge the gap.

You Can Fertility in partnership with The National Ovarian and Testicular Tissue Transport and Cryopreservation Service (NOTTCS) allows for patients to have tissue samples extracted at their local hospital and Sony Foundation funds the sample to be transported to the specialised fertility service and tissue laboratory at The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne for cryopreservation, at no cost to the patient.

21-year-old Mikayla Quaziz from Adelaide was able to utilise the free services provided by You Can Fertility and is an advocate for the importance of free and convenient fertility preservation for cancer patients.

“If you are not even given the option of fertility preservation, you feel like you are being robbed of being able to have a family. I should be able to choose if I want to have a family. Cancer takes a lot of things away from you. Fertility preservation is one thing you can have control of in your cancer journey where you don’t have a lot of control.”

“People don’t realise the impact they are making on young people like myself by providing funds for this program, as I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. To have that choice is the most important thing. It has such a positive impact,” said Mikayla.

Mikayla was recently interviewed by Sky News Australia’s Jaynie Seal alongside Ass. Professor, Dr Kate Stern, Head of Fertility Preservation at Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne and Sony Foundation CEO, Sophie Ryan regarding the importance of You Can Fertility.