I'm going to join this party with some statistics. Children and older adults are actually treated pretty well and pretty equally - children get some special treatment in terms of support care because they are not equipped emotionally or mentally for what they're going through and the families get additional support because they all are taken through the ride. Young adults, particularly with cancer (which is the area I know about best), suffer in the medical system. For instance, in the past 30 years, childhood and older adult cancers have seen huge increases in survival rates. But if you are diagnosed with cancer between 15-39 (as I was), the survival rates haven't increased since the 1970s as an aggregate. In fact, you have a better chance of surviving some cancers, such as breast cancer, if diagnosed at 50 or 60 than you do if you are diagnosed at 25 or 30.
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Originally Posted by http://www.cancerforward.org/survivor-resources/experts-speak/Brandon-Hayes-Lattin/the-emerging-field-of-adolescent-and-young-adult-aya-oncology
Studies in the mid-2000’s showed that unlike younger children or older adults, the 5-year survival rates for cancer among AYAs had not been improving since the 1970’s. Furthermore, survival rates for AYAs were worse than those of children for many cancers including leukemia, lymphoma, and sarcoma, and worse than those of older adults for cancers such as breast cancer.
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I was never treated *badly*, but I had to advocate for myself more than perhaps an older adult would need to. I was kicked out of a support group because I was younger than the other patients by 30 years and was making them uncomfortable when I talked about my difficulties with my sexuality and concern about fertility and having children. Most of them were more concerned about seeing their grandkids graduate from high school. I had to fight to get fertility care, and in fact, was not able to bank my eggs. My doctors didn't know what to say to me about sexuality or the induced-menopause I went through at 23.
That's, of course, after I was misdiagnosed for 5 years mostly due to my age. I'll take your rude nurse and raise you several doctors - even at some world renowned hospitals - who spent 5 years blaming my symptoms on stress, depression, chronic hives, and even my weight (which ballooned as a result of my cancer and the steroid treatments I was on for the skin conditions). I asked if I could have my cancer specifically and was told no, largely because I asked when I was 18 and "18 year olds don't get cancer." I was diagnosed at stage IV after 5 years of suffering rather than a much better shot at survival (and much cheaper, shorter treatment) when I first asked.
Luckily, there has been a lot of attention paid to young adult cancer survivors in the past few years. 10 years ago, there were NO support services tailored to a group that is so unstable in career, finances, education, and life simply due to their age. Today, there is more, but still not enough. And there's very little support for young adults with other illnesses. There aren't enough mental health practitioners or social workers who understand the needs of this population. There is not enough charity help.
Moral of the story? No one ever wants to get sick. Age impacts how one is treated when ill, but that's not necessarily a conscious decision. Mistakes and rudeness happens to kids (or, more likely, their parents dealing with the doctors) too.
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