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MY CHILD HAS A CLASSMATE WITH CANCER

If your child knows someone at school who has cancer, he or she may have a lot of questions. It can be hard for you to know what to tell your child, especially if he or she is a close friend of the child with cancer. It is important to be honest and encourage your child to ask you questions. If you don't know the answers, you and your child can spend time together looking them up. Knowing someone with cancer can be a learning experience for everyone.

Below is a list of questions and concerns commonly asked by school-age children. You can use this as a reference when talking to your child about his or her classmate with cancer. These questions also appear on the Kids' FAQs page. Visit Parents' FAQs for more detailed information.

• What is cancer?
  Cancer is the name of a group of illnesses that affects different parts of the body. Cancer changes the way cells work in the body by making some cells grow faster than normal. When this happens, cancer cells hurt the body's healthy cells.
  
  
• What kinds of cancers do children get?
  Even though cancer is a rare disease, leukemia is the most common type of cancer that affects kids. Leukemia changes the cells in the blood.
  
  
• How do children get cancer?
  Doctors and scientists aren't sure why some cells become cancer cells and others don't. They do know that it is rare for kids to have cancer. It is no one's fault when kids get cancer.
  
  
• Can you catch cancer from someone else?
  No. You can't catch cancer from someone who has it, like a cold or the flu. You can't get cancer from touching or playing with someone who has it.

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• How do children with cancer get better?
  Special doctors take good care of children with cancer. Parents, nurses, and many other adults help, too. Children with cancer go to the doctor and sometimes to the hospital to get treatments. The types of treatment are called chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
  
  
• Do children with cancer have to do anything special to take care of themselves?
  Aside from the special treatments planned by the doctors, children with cancer have to be careful not to get too close to people who have a cold or the flu. They especially have to be careful not to catch chickenpox. Cancer and cancer treatments make it easier to catch these kinds of illnesses, and they can be more serious for children with cancer.
  
  
• Sometimes children with cancer have a tube in their body. What is that for?
  The tube helps children with cancer get the medicine they need without getting stuck by a needle every time. Doctors place a tube in the body and put the medicine in the tube. The tube is sometimes called a central line. Children with one of these tubes need to be very careful to make sure not to bump it or get it wet.
  
  
• Why do some children with cancer lose their hair?
  Some of the medicines used to treat cancer are very strong. These medicines kill cancer cells, which grow quickly. Other cells in the body also grow quickly, like hair cells. The medicines can kill the hair cells, too. That is why kids with cancer sometimes lose their hair. When the treatments are over, the hair will grow back.

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• Can children with cancer be cured?
  There are very good treatments for cancer. Most children with cancer will go into remission. Remission is when doctors can't find any more cancer in the body.
  
  
• Why do children with cancer have to miss school?
  Kids with cancer usually have to go to the doctor or hospital to get their treatments. This can mean missing a lot of school. Also, some of the treatments can make kids feel very tired or sick. If this happens, your classmate may need to stay home from school and rest.
  
  
• How will cancer change my classmate?
  Sometimes, kids coming back to school after cancer treatment look different than before they left. They might not be able to play as much at recess or after school. They might be behind in school from missing classes. But, in all the important ways, your classmate with cancer is still the same person he or she was before getting sick.
  
  
• What can I do to help my classmate return to school after cancer treatment?
  You can help by being nice to your classmate. It can be scary to have cancer, and the treatments might make your classmate feel tired and sick. Offer to help your classmate catch up with schoolwork. Invite him or her to play with you. And ask your friend questions about how he or she feels or how you can help. You can also get some good ideas by checking out My Classmate Has Cancer.

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