Page 27 - LIVESTRONG Digital Guidebook
P. 27

Some children can put feelings and thoughts                                   Ask yourself the following as you decide
into words, such as writing a poem or in a journal.                               how to talk about your cancer diagnosis:
Others may be better able to express emotions and
concerns another way, such as drawing a picture,                                  •	 What do I feel comfortable saying?
sculpting with clay or acting out feelings through                                •	 When do I want to tell each person?
play. Find a way that works well for each child.                                  •	 How much personal information do I want to share?
                                                                                  •	 How will telling others affect my
    If you need to go away for treatment, your child
may find comfort in something you give him or her                                   employment situation?
before you leave such as a special photo or toy.
                                                         livestrong-at-school to find free lesson plans for
    Help your child find a support system. Good          teachers. The lessons teach children (K–12) about
support might come from:                                 cancer in a way that is hopeful and inspiring. Lessons
                                                         include videos and activities for different ages.
    •	 Teachers
    •	 Counselors                                            If a child has cancer, returning to school can
    •	Support groups with members of the                 build hope for the child and his or her loved ones.
     same age group                                      School can be a big part of feeling normal and pro-
                                                         ductive. Yet going back to the classroom can also
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers good          bring new challenges to families whose main focus
information about helping children and teens cope.       has been getting through treatment.
Go online to cancer.gov/cancertopics or call toll-free
at 800.422.6237. Brothers and sisters of a child             The Foundation and the Leukemia & Lym-
with cancer might also be deeply affected. Siblings      phoma Society have worked together to create re-
may be very close. Some may be confused about            sources that address the educational needs of chil-
certain feelings. There may be fear, anger or jealousy.  dren and adolescents with cancer. Go to mskcc.
                                                         org/sites/default/files/node/1228/documents/
    Parents may be overwhelmed with concerns             learning-livingwcancer-pdf.pdf to download the
about the child going through cancer treatment. Sib-     booklet, Learning and Living With Cancer: Advo-
lings may need support that lets them know that they     cating for Your Child’s Educational Needs. This
are not alone. A support program may help empower        booklet provides:
them and ease fears. It may also have a positive effect
on the healing process of the entire family.                •	 Insights about what a child may face and what
                                                              can be done
SuperSibs! is a national program that helps bring
hope, belonging and self-esteem to brothers and             •	 Information about the laws that protect the
sisters of children with cancer. It provides free pro-        educational needs of children
grams and outreach education. There are also col-
lege scholarships for siblings. This program works          •	 Specific ways that schools can help meet the
with children and teens between the ages of 4 to 18           child’s educational needs
years. Call SuperSibs! toll-free at 866.444.7427 or
go to supersibs.org to request more information.         FRIENDS AND COWORKERS

LIVESTRONG at School can help children and               Many survivors find that it can be hard to know
their friends and loved ones deal with cancer. Go on-    when (and if) to tell others about a cancer diagnosis.
line to LIVESTRONG.org/what-we-do/program/

“My sister said that, for probably about a year, nobody asked about her. My
brother was little enough that he did not understand a lot of what was going
on. Now he says that he wished people had told him more. ... Instead, he
imagined things that were probably much worse than what was going on.” —AMY D.

www.LIVESTRONG.org/WeCanHelp                             J U S T D I A G N O S E D : G E T T I N G S TA R T E D                         27














































   25   26   27   28   29