From student to full-time carer
When Jupiter was seventeen, her dad was diagnosed with brain cancer. Instead of starting year 12, she dropped out of school to be his full-time carer.
Over the next year Jupiter supported their dad as he underwent two surgeries to try and remove the tumour as well as chemo and radiotherapy. When he sadly passed away just 12 months later in a palliative care facility, Jupiter found it difficult to return to normal life.
“I was afraid to tell people about it because I didn't want their pity or to change the way they saw me. So that really stopped me from connecting with people for a while.”
Jupiter with their dad
Learning to connect again
On returning to school, Jupiter struggled with feeling isolated and like no one else really understood what they’d been through.
Fortunately, Jupiter found support from Canteen. Ever since their first program, Jupiter has found community and support to keep building their life.
“Canteen helped me to connect again and make friends after my dad died. The acceptance and connection I found helped me not only with building relationships with other Canteen members but with other people in my life too.
It really helped to be around people who knew what I had gone through and weren't going to treat me differently because of it."
"My experiences with Canteen, especially as a part of Youth Leadership, have helped me grow my passion. So much so, I have decided to study to become a social worker to one day help other young people like me."
How Jupiter is making wavesÂ
Since joining Canteen, Jupiter has participated in youth leadership events and taken on a role as a Canteen youth ambassador.
In November 2023, Jupiter and other Canteen youth ambassadors attended a design session with Dannii Minogue for an exciting upcoming bandanna collaboration in 2024.
