A recent article My Child Has Cancer: What Do I Say was posted on My Heart Your Hands. This article was co-authored by childhood cancer survivor Stephanie Zimmerman, Executive Director and Co-Founder of My Heart Your Hands and Jean Wolfe Powers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
In their article My Child Has Cancer: What Do I Say?, Zimmerman and Powers stress the importance of maintaining trust and communication with your child while sharing information about their illness and treatment plans.
“Children have the amazing ability to think magically which often leads them to arrive at incorrect cause and effects relationships. For example, if a child is unkind to his/her sibling, his/her mom “the LOOK’, of a child told a ‘white lie’, then this child may begin to believe that he/she caused their cancer. Worse yet, this child may not be able to talk about their belief even though the ‘why’ question is swirling inside their heart.
Make certain from the beginning that there is NOTHING he/she did or didn’t do that CAUSED the cancer. Repeat this reassurance as the opportunity presents itself”- Zimmerman and Powers.
Zimmerman and Powers also offer parents advice on answering some difficult questions that may arise in talking with their child about their illness such as, explaining your child’s diagnosis, explaining treatment options, helping your child understand any changes to his or her school schedule and of course setting goals and celebrating milestones!
Powers suggests creating personal and family visual boards–pictures of family, friends, things that your child enjoys, his/her inspirations etc. Zimmerman also suggests that the parents create their own vision board to ensure that their relationship is tended to along the journey of caring for a child fighting cancer.
Lastly, Powers and Zimmerman both agree that families should celebrate everything and take pictures. “Your child will be so happy that you did because this is part of their history”- Zimmerman.
For the complete article, My Child Has Cancer: What Do I Say?, visit My Heart Your Hands. Thank you to Stephanie and Jean for this very helpful article and for believing in the importance of joy for children and families fighting cancer.
You can also visit My Heart Your Hands at on facebook at www.facebook.com/LateEffects? and on twitter at @myHeartyrHands.