CHILDREN WITH CANCER ASK THE TOUGHEST QUESTIONS
What do you say when your child asks why they’re in hospital all the time, or why they can’t play with their friends?
When your child has cancer, conversations go from being difficult to unbearable. How do you tell your child they have cancer? And how do you tell a child with cancer, or their siblings, they won’t get better?
Our Childhood Cancer Awareness Month campaign highlights the tough conversations children and young people with cancer have every day, and how Young Lives vs Cancer social workers help. They listen to their worries, anxieties and fears. They help them understand what’s being said about their cancer and what’s planned. They support them to find the words to express how they feel. They make sure the people closest to them can be by their side and help them find the strength and resilience to face the trauma of cancer.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
You can help children and young people with cancer find the strength to face the toughest conversations by sharing our campaign.
#CCAM #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth
A CONVERSATION THEY NEVER THOUGHT THEY’D HAVE TO HAVE
“How do you explain to your daughter she was going to be put to sleep and have her head cut open?”
“Kara had never had any health issues. But now there was a tumour in her head the size of a golf ball, which had to be taken out. All within two days of being admitted. We had no idea how to tell her, we didn’t even know how to explain it to ourselves.
“All the advice we got was to be honest with her, so we told her she had a small worry in her head that shouldn’t be in there, and that we needed to get it out because it was giving her a sore head. She said she didn’t want her head to be cut open.
“It was a conversation we never thought we’d have to have with our child. We were crumbling inside. Emotional wrecks.
Kara in hospital
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FINDING THE STRENGTH, AND THE WORDS
“Our Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker Leslie-Anne was a godsend”
“She first got in touch when Kara was diagnosed, and has sorted so many things for us, like applying for all the different grants we were entitled to. I’d never have known where to start in a million years.
“Leslie-Anne made it really easy, and gave us the head-space and the strength to have those conversations with Kara.
“At the very beginning, Kara was completely naive to the world of tumours and cancer, we could drip feed her things and she’d accept it. Now she takes nothing at face value. She will ask and ask and ask. But I know that when I need to talk to someone or need advice, Leslie-Anne’s there. The support we’ve had has been outstanding.”
Kara, Mum and Dad after her final chemo session in August
MAKE A DONATION
A donation from you will help keep our social workers, like Leslie-Anne, there to support children like Kara. To find the words to express how they feel. And to find the strength and resilience to face the trauma of cancer.
Kara’s parents outside the hospital surprising Kara with a surprise get together to celebrate her finishing treatment.
We'll face it all, together
We are the charity that helps children and young people (0-25) and their families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them.
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Young Lives vs Cancer is an operating name of CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children. A registered charity in England and Wales (1107328) and in Scotland (SC039857). Also operating in Northern Ireland. A company limited by member guarantee (No. 05273638). Registered office: No. 1 Farriers Yard, Assembly London, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JA. VAT no: 863639196. © 2022 CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children.
