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September is Child Cancer Awareness Month

September is Child Cancer Awareness Month and with more families being touched by cancer, it is important to be educated and be able to educate our families. According to The Candlighter’s Childhood Cancer Foundation, “cancer remains the number one disease killer of America’s children – more than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS combined” with “one in 330 children developing cancer by age 20”. These statistics are heartbreaking, especially when the average life expectancy after diagnosis is five years. According to the American Cancer Society, in the US, “men have slightly less than a 1 in 2 lifetime risk of developing cancer; for women, the risk is a little more than 1 in 3.”

With numbers like these, there probably isn’t a family who hasn’t been touched by cancer in some way. It is important that children know what cancer is and how they can lessen their risks of developing it. It is also important to reassure children that they cannot “catch” cancer from someone else. If your child is the one who has cancer, reassure him or her that they cannot give it to anyone else. Honest, simple information is the best. Just remember to keep it age appropriate in order to really teach your child.

There are many organizations that can help in providing educational information and support for both those with cancer and their loved ones. It can help teach how to look for the symptoms for early detection, how to deal with the shock of the diagnosis and treatments and how to help the loved ones of those who have it. It can be a devastating shock to a family when someone develops cancer, but if a family has been educated early, it will help lessen that shock. Many organizations and libraries have free books and pamphlets that help with family conversations.

Another way to help learn about cancer is to volunteer in a cancer ward. Sometimes patients need to have lengthy stays in the hospital. This can get very tiring. If volunteers take the time to visit, it will help give the families a break, as well as build new friendships. Some people only need an ear to listen. Others, especially the children, will appreciate having someone to play games with while in the hospital.

If actually going to visit the cancer patients is too difficult, especially for younger or more sensitive children, maybe they can make things to donate to the patients. They can put together kits of activities that would be easy to do when tired or restricted to bed. Puzzle books, crayons, paper, and joke or riddle books are only a few examples. Travel versions of popular games are also a welcome change of pace.

Cancer is a scary word, but taking the time to discuss it and learn about it as a family can take away some of the fear. Make use of the resources available to make it easier.

References:

Hoffman, Ruth. “The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation.” The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation. 2007. The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation. 18 Jul 2007 http://www.candlelighters.org/

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2007. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2007

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