Kids and cancer
Chrissy (AKA "Criss Cross") with her counselor "Chum" at Camp Kesem
It was really cute: My daughter’s school had Cancer Awareness Day today, and she was all dressed in pink. As I dropped her off, I saw her proudly pointing out her pink ribbon to the principal. Wow, even kids are being exposed to cancer these days. I’m not sure I knew much about it when I was 10. Chrissy, however, has known about it all of her life.
Chrissy was three when I was first diagnosed – a little young to take it all in. Now she is an important member of our family team. She is part of the discussion. We don’t hide things from her because she is smart and can figure things out anyway.
We had a good talk the night we found out about this latest recurrence. She wanted to know if I’d be OK, and I told her yes. Because I am! She saw how well I did last time, and I assured her it would be the same this time. She also wanted to know if I had good doctors. I explained how they told me at MD Anderson, one of the tops in the nation, that my oncologist was doing an excellent job. I pointed out I was going to one of the top specialists in the country to make sure. I saw her tears disappear, and she dozed off peacefully. She’s been fine ever since.
It’s hard to know how much to share with kids, and I’ve been afraid to expose her to too much. That’s how I first felt when I found out about a great organization called Camp Kesem. It’s a free, week-long overnight camp for kids who have a parent with cancer or lost a parent from the disease. I didn’t want to scare her, but was assured by another camper’s parent that it was a wonderful experience.
I am so grateful I made that choice! It was the best thing that ever happened to Chrissy, and she talks about it all the time. She had a great time, but most importantly, she found a great support system of caring counselors and kids who understand what it’s like to have a parent with cancer. In a couple of weeks, we’re going to a camp reunion and we can’t wait!
Camp Kesem has camps all over the country; it is an amazing organization. You can find out more by visiting www.campkesem.org. I’ll share more resources in future posts, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear experiences of survivors with kids.
Christine Dittmann says:
Drake was 7 years old when I was first diagnosed. At first we tried to protect him by not telling him what was happening. But with the suggestion of a counselor during a family session, he recommended including Drake into much of the process that was age appropriate. We always tell him when my chemos are, but in a nonchalant, no big deal manner. When I receive test results, we talk and again let it be known that everything will be all right. By including Drake, he has been a part of a beautiful love connection brought on by cancer. He asks how my chemo went, he fluffs my pillows and gets me drinks…..what more could I ask for her. He will make a perfect husband one day. I always tell him that if Mom did not have cancer we would not have met so many loving people and have the opportunity to do so many wonderful things–I think he gets that even in his 11 year-old mine.