Childhood cancer – a devastating blow

We promise to love and protect them from birth. Every cut and bump makes us cringe; when our children hurt, we hurt. We hope and pray that our children will remain safe, and we are saddened by stories of others whose children are sick or who have been hurt.

There are times though, when we can’t protect our children from becoming ill. According to the United States National Cancer Institute, "cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children between infancy and age 15." Interestingly, white children develop cancer more than children from any other ethnic group.

Leukemia, brain cancer and cancers of the central nervous system are the most common types of childhood cancers. But, although the cancer numbers aren’t changing over the years, the death rate has dropped drastically. Fewer children are dying because of this horrible disease.

Because having a child with cancer is a whole new world, one that you wished you’d never had to experience, there is so much to learn and know as you help your child through his or her illness. You’ll need to know the new vocabulary associated with cancer, the various treatments, the roles of the healthcare workers, your role, and how to cope with what is going on around you and at home, especially if you have other children.

To help you along this unexpected journey, the National Cancer Institute has put together a very informative booklet for parents of children who have cancer: Young People with Cancer: A Handbook for Parents. The booklet deals with numerous issues from the basic (What is cancer?) to the realistic (Moving on With Life).

Do you have a child with cancer? What would you tell other parents who are beginning this journey?

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Images: Newscom

Tags: cancer blog, childhood cancers, leukemia, brain cancer, cancer handbook