No matter what age someone is at diagnosis, cancer is devastating. But when it comes to treatment and research, childhood cancers and adult cancers are not the same. In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September, we asked a handful of cancer parents to help explain why cancer in kids is different than cancer in adults – and what you can do to help kids fighting cancer.

When communicating with your child about their cancer diagnosis, it’s important to realize that you know your child better than anyone. For parents, this is an extremely difficult and overwhelming time. You want to protect your child, not only from the cancer, but also from the worry that comes with having a cancer diagnosis. While parents are sorting through their own fears and confusion, they must also face the task of …

Being a cancer parent comes with a multitude of worries and challenges that make taking care of your family and yourself incredibly difficult – throw in a global pandemic and you have parents living with extraordinary levels of stress. For more tips from cancer caregivers, click here to read our blog, “Anxiety in the Time of Coronovirus.” During tough times, there is an opportunity to …

There are dads, and then there are cancer dads. Click to read cancer dad Tamer’s blog post, “A Message to Dads,” about how he let go of his “tough guy” persona when his son Zein was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer dads have a special kind of strength. These are the parents who crack jokes at just the right moment, drive to the hospital in the …

For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought scary realizations to the forefront. We now know that our whole world can change overnight, and that our health is something we can’t take for granted. But for childhood cancer parents, these realizations hit when their child was diagnosed with cancer. And knowing that their child is in the high-risk category for the disease has triggered …

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, many of us have been asked to practice “social distancing” – staying home and away from large crowds in order to prevent the spread of the virus. This feels like a different world for many, but to cancer families, this is nothing new. Social distancing is critical for cancer families, because many cancer treatments wipe out a child’s immune …

Dear Mom Whose Child is Newly Diagnosed with Cancer, “Cancer Mom.” I know you’re not yet used to that title. It’s a title I never wanted, either. None of us did. I still remember the first time that someone called me a “cancer mom” – my reaction was reminiscent of a shudder. The title feels like a shoe that doesn’t quite fit right. A waistband …

Hospital rooms usually feel less than homey – beeping machines, fluorescent lighting and the sterile smell don’t exactly create a comforting, calming environment. But when your child is inpatient for an extended period of time, or when cancer treatments mean you’re spending the night in the hospital frequently, there are things you can do to take some control of your environment and make it feel …

I didn’t really know what a friend was until my son, Liam, was diagnosed with leukemia in May of 2018. When we first got the devastating news, I wondered why people weren’t coming to see us. In a moment of absolute upheaval, we desperately needed something (or someone) familiar to pull us back to earth. We had just moved to a new city and I …

This is the third piece in a 3-part series. If you haven’t already, please go back and read Part 1: What Grief Is Not and Part 2: What is Grief? Note: Much of the information below is from Megan Devine’s book, “It’s Okay You’re NOT Okay.” Picture your grieving friend like a broken bone. They’re in pain and they’re vulnerable, but a broken bone isn’t …

This is the second piece in a 3-part series. If you haven’t already, please go back and read Grief – Part 1: What Grief Is Not. What is grief? It’s a hard thing to put your finger on right away, so let’s start with the basic definition. It is the psychological-emotional experience following a loss of any kind (relationship, status, job, house, game, income, etc.). …

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” These are the words we automatically turn to when someone tells us they’ve lost someone. These words are a good start, but we often find ourselves grasping for more. We want to say something to take away the person’s pain or show them how to feel better. These are good instincts, but impossible to fulfill. In Part 1 of …

When Tamer’s son Zein was diagnosed with cancer at age 5, Tamer had a hard time letting other people in and asking for help when he and his family needed it. But over the next seven years, Zein was diagnosed with cancer three more times, and Tamer learned that he and his family couldn’t go through it alone.