Family Corner

There is a wealth of information available for families of children living with cancer. Review the content below to discover reading recommendations that cover cancer-related topics. These resources will help families talk about cancer, and children make the transition of returning to school.

What You Can Do

It may be helpful to seek support and learn more about cancer and the issues that may be affecting members of your school community who are dealing with cancer. Learning more can help you decide how to best work with your students, their families, or their colleagues.

Find resources to support your student or colleague and their family:

  • The Q&A about Children’s Grief will help you understand how to support school-age children through difficult times. Working through grief, children will need the support of both their family and teachers as they begin to understand what has happened, express their emotions, adjust to changes, commemorate the loss and finally go on with day-to-day living. The Q&A also provides information on how children cope with grief at different ages, what red flags to look for and how you can positively impact the process.

    For children with cancer and their parents, returning to school builds hope for the future. Attending school is a big part of feeling normal and productive. Yet, going back to school also brings new challenges to families whose main focus has been getting through treatment. Livestrong and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, through a national partnership, have created resources addressing the educational needs of children and adolescents with cancer.

    The educational booklet, Learning and Living with Cancer: Advocating for Your Child’s Educational Needs, can help parents advocate for their children’s needs. This booklet is a starting point to give you:

  • Insights about the challenges your child may face and what can be done
  • Information about the laws that protect your child’s educational needs
  • Specific ways that schools can help meet your child’s educational needs

Download the PDF booklet: Learning and Living with Cancer: Advocating for Your Child’s Educational Needs.

The resource guide can help school personnel and parents to identify organizations, websites, books, and videos that help with the educational needs of childhood cancer survivors.

ARTHUR Family Brochures

We teamed up with ARTHUR, the award-winning children’s series, to create a special episode plus free resources that will help families and schools talk with kids about cancer. In “The Great MacGrady,” Arthur and his friends deal with the cancer diagnosis of their favorite lunch lady.

The Family Activity Booklet offers advice and ideas for how to talk with children when a loved one has cancer.

Parenting Resources

Visit the Marjorie E. Korff PACT Program (Parenting at a Challenging Time) website for extensive web-based educational materials for parents and professionals. This program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center is a nationally and internationally recognized center that offers clinical and educational guidance to loving parents and other caring adults, helping them meet the challenges of raising children while undergoing cancer treatment and beyond. The PACT Program, staffed with specially trained child psychiatrists and child psychologists, is built on the belief that parents and experienced clinicians working collaboratively, create the best plans for promoting the resiliency of children and adolescents facing the challenges associated with a parent’s cancer diagnosis and care.