Welcome to the Book Corner!
If you are looking for educational books about cancer, guides on how to cope and manage your child's diagnosis, or support on how to talk to your child about your own diagnosis, you came to the right place. Other than the many other, widely available resources for patients, Cancer Ed wanted to highlight a few publications specifically geared towards parents or teachers. Get comfortable and enjoy!
Learning & Living with Cancer
"This booklet is written to guide your child's return to school after a cancer diagnosis and help you develop an education plan."
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides this free and downloadable booklet on their website. It is aimed at parents who have a child with blood cancer, but is perfect for any caregiver of a pediatric cancer patient. It includes information on returning to school, late effects, and laws that protect children with educational needs. This easy to read booklet is 16 pages- packed with information and short enough to actually read. Visit their official website for more great resources about cancer.
Coping with Childhood Leukemia and Lymphoma
"Children with leukemia or lymphoma may face long periods of treatment. However, most can expect to have full and productive lives. Many childhood cancer survivors return to school, attend college, enter the workforce, marry and become parents."
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides this free and downloadable booklet on their website. Though written for parents, it is a perfect quick read for any caregiver of a child with cancer. It covers the initial diagnoses, how to talk to family members, and coping for siblings and parents. Visit their official website for more great resources about cancer.
Children with Cancer: A Guide for Parents
The National Cancer Institute is a great resource for any and all things cancer related. There is a wide collection of information for children, parents, and teens, and they have created publications on a broad range of topics. This is most relevant for parents who have affected children, and the book is easily downloadable as a PDF file. You can also visit their official website to see additional publications on more topics.
Frankly Speaking About Cancer: What Do I Tell The Kids?
Written as a guide for parents, who either have cancer, or has a loved one in the family with cancer, this is useful for understanding children's responses based on age, and support on how to approach the conversation about cancer. A must read for every family with children who have an affected family member. Published by the Cancer Support Community.
Cancer in Our Family: Helping Children Cope With A Parent's Illness
"Cancer is sometimes called a "family disease" because it affects everyone in the family... not just the person with the condition. For families with young or adolescent children, this is especially true. Cancer In Our Family: Helping Children Cope With a Parent's Illness, Second Edition was written to help families cope with changes, disruptions, and challenges cancer can bring to a family's life".
This book is crucial for affected families because it offers descriptive and useful tools for: talking to children, coping strategies, explaining treatments, quality of life improvement, communication techniques, and more. Written by the American Cancer Society, this is an all-inclusive guide geared to help all families cope with this devastating disease.
Educating the Child With Cancer: A Guide for Parents and Teachers
Ruth I. Hoffman
“An essential resource for families who have faced the childhood cancer diagnosis. Written by top researchers in the field, and balanced with parents’ personal experiences, this 334 page resource focuses on educational issues for children treated for cancer. It is intended to promote understanding and communication between parents, educators and medical professionals so that together they can provide an appropriate education for children who have been treated for cancer which in turn will lead to a productive and rewarding life".
This is yet another valuable resource for parents and teachers looking to create healthy dialogue among their family with young kids or teens.
Late Effects
"This fact sheet can help you understand long-term and late effects of childhood blood cancers and provides guidance and resources for dealing with these treatment effects."
This free and downloadable fact sheet is available through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website. It provides detailed information on physical and psychological late effects of childhood cancer, as well as coping, returning to school and a glossary. While written specifically for blood cancer diagnoses, it is a great resources for all pediatric cancer patients and their caregivers.