on hearing that your child has cancer, it becomes nearly impossible to sleep and even harder to think straight. many childhood cancer diagnoses are also accompanied by immediate and prolonged hospital stays, throwing your whole life into disarRay.
You’re also suddenly fending off (or ignoring) a million enquiries from concerned others who want to know what’s happening, can they visit, do you need anything etc. Let’s take the noise away, and give you a plan for restoring a bit of order to your life.
resources
10 things to do first
The early days can be so scary. You really have very little idea of what is happening, only that it’s really bad. Here are some things to do that will help you to feel a little bit more in control of life, and which will actually help you on your journey.
scripts for telling people
It can be hard to find the words to tell people that your child has been diagnosed with cancer. Here are some pre-written/fill-in-the-blanks kind of scripts to make it easier, and which will answer all of the immediate questions others might have (so you don’t need to keep repeating yourself!).
hospital packing list
Not sure what to take to hospital, or simply want to remember what you did bring before you leave the room? Check out this list.
outsourcing the logistics of life
There are so many things that you do on a regular basis for yourself that you aren’t even conscious of most of the time. Here is a long list of them, with a check box next to each one. All you have to do is put a tick next to the things that you would be happy for others to do for you, so when people offer to help, you’ll be clear on how they can.