Informing the child about his friend’s cancer
Cancer is a disease that unfortunately does not only affect adults but also children. All the cells of our body are growing regularly and according to a certain rule. Sometimes some cells deviate from their normal growth path and grow irregularly and faster than normal. This disrupts the body’s natural order. This is called cancer disruption. Different types of cancer have different symptoms, treatments, and complications depending on the type of cell and organ involved in the body. Unfortunately, cancer not only affects adults but also children.
Every year, 3 to 4 children out of every 100,000 children in the world are diagnosed with a variety of cancers, the most common of which are leukemia, lymphoma, and brain cancers. Frequent fever, recurrent infections, and anemia are some of the symptoms that make a doctor think about getting cancer.
Children with cancer have weak immune systems, so if someone hugs or kisses them, they can easily transmit the viruses and bacteria they carry to the child, but this does not mean that the disease is contagious, but to keep the child healthy. It is recommended that people with viral illnesses do not approach these children.
Give your children the right information about their friends’ cancer
Introduce the child to cancer
Causes of Cancer According
to the website of the Foundation for Special Diseases, let your child know that pediatric cancer is not because of their lifestyle, nor because of their misbehavior, nor because of minor incidents such as head injuries. No one and nothing has caused this cancer.
Cancer is not contagious
When children around children have cancer, they need to feel safe around them. Tell them that cancer does not spread to other people. If the sick child is placed in a separate place, it is because the child is protecting himself from the infection, not protecting others from cancer.
Change the status
Explain that the life situation of a cancer friend or relative will inevitably change. They do not have much energy to play and maybe absent from school for a long time. Their physical shape may also change (such as the need for a wheelchair or hair loss ). Ask your child to pay more attention to things that have not changed – such as their personality and friendships.
Continue relationships
If possible, give your child a chance to continue his or her friendship with the sick child. They may not see each other much and their relationships are not the same, but they both enjoy each other’s existence.
Visiting the hospital
If you can, take your child to the hospital to see a friend or relative of the patient. It is very confusing and frightening for your child why a person with cancer disappears from the environment immediately after being diagnosed with the disease. They imagine the worst for themselves.
Continuity of contact
Make time for your child and help him keep in touch with his friends. You can make a health postcard for him, write a letter, decorate his patient’s friend’s room in the hospital or design a board for him. For older children, phone calls, e-mails, and Internet calls help keep in touch with a child with cancer.
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