How to Make Cancer Less Scary When Talking to Kids

Sunday June 8 is National Children’s Day. Like many parents, we imagined days with our children would be filled with play and laughter… not conversations about cancer.

The Book that Made the Conversation Easier

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, our boys were just 7 and 4. 

They hadn’t really heard of cancer before, so we waited until the week before I started treatment to talk to them, using a wonderful book: What Happens When Someone I Love Has Cancer? by Sara Olsher.

This kid-friendly book helped us explain things in a way that they could understand; it was honest but not scary.

We kept our conversation simple: I was sick, but would be getting medicines to help me heal. We talked about how chemo might affect me and my hair, and what activities I’d still be able to do with them.

Then we asked what questions THEY had. To our surprise, none were about death—just thoughtful, loving ones like:

• How did you get cancer… what causes it?

• Why did you wait to tell us?

• Can we still hug you?

They didn’t carry the fear that often comes with a cancer diagnosis, and that helped shape a hopeful tone for everything that followed.

Their resilience gave me strength, and I’ll always be grateful for that. 🤗

#factfriday