How to Help Kids Cope With School and Cancer!

Being a school aged child with cancer is difficult sometimes and requires work from everyone, including the child with cancer. While many children are now getting ready to go back to school, children with cancer are getting ready for both school and treatment. The school that your child attends needs to be willing to work with the family where a leave of absence for treatment is concerned. Don't worry too much about your child getting his/her education. If the school is willing to work and the child's assignments can be sent to you or a tutor can be provided, then by all means take that opportunity. Your child will get their schooling. Also, going back to school will help you and your child return to some normalcy. In doing so, educate the teachers. Tell them what will be required of them while the child is in class. Being out of the classroom while learning is not the concern, obviously the main concern is for your child's well-being and health!

Now, another fear is that your child may be picked on when he/she goes back to school inbetween treatments. Let me just say that getting sick and losing your hair comes with chemotherapy territory and that we all know that kids can be cruel. If your child comes home upset one day because someone made fun of them due to their condition, comfort them and tell them that it won't last forever. Knowing what to say will come to you in time, don't get frustrated if you don't immediately know what to say. Not knowing what to say is not your fault, after all, most parents haven't been through cancer as a child, therefore they don't know what it feels like. Whether your child's condition is terminal or not, it won't last forever!

Let me share my experiences with you, just to give you an idea of what I went through. First off, I did spend a lot of time in the hospital during the school year, but I still was promoted to the third grade the next year. I was diagnosed and started chemo in second grade. I was often sick while taking chemo. One time, I came down with the flu and was in the hospital for a week, aside from chemo. My mom tells me that I got so sick during that particular week that I projectile vomited. I don't remember this as there are some things that I don't remember, but she assures me it happened. This is just an example of how sick you can get, even when it doesn't come from the chemo. I also had to wear a mask, so that I would lower my chances of getting sick, even though it still happened.

Also, as far as bullying goes, there was one kid who made fun of my not having hair. He continually taunted me for a long time, even after my hair started coming back. When I was in fifth grade, one day, out of the blue, he came up to me and apologized for all the bad things that he'd ever told to me or said about me. I was in awe! Like I said, things like this don't last forever.

This is me, my Grandpa Varnadore, and my little cousin at my graduation party...10 years after being diagnosed!