Grace: A Child's Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery
Gosh, did I ever strike a nerve with yesterday’s post! First off, I need to thank everyone who messaged me to thank me for my “Raw” honesty. Guess who really appreciates the honesty?
…adult cancer patients & childhood cancer patients and their parents…
Interesting.
My mom scoured everywhere for information when I was in treatment and even after treatment. There are some books and pamphlets that mention “late-effects,” but we haven’t found anything that truly describes what children, in particular, face when their treatments end. It almost seems as if the medical world does not want to reveal this. It might make their job harder to get patients through treatment if patients/parents knew recovery was going to be dangerous and difficult as well.
One mom told me, “It helped both of us to know it was normal for her to have these feelings.”
Another survivor said, “Truth helps you prepare yourself.”
And yet another pearl of wisdom, “The truth will set you free.”
One of my great concerns is that I don’t want other children to have to face unnecessary hardships when they return to school after treatments. My teachers were extremely helpful and supportive, but this was not the case with the administration. (Could this be because the administration deals with costs associated with “special needs” kids? Hmmmm…..) If I can help administrators understand the needs of children recovering from cancer, what a better World After Treatment these children could have.
I say they have suffered enough. Let’s give them truth. Let’s understand they have a huge job to do in recovery. Let’s open our minds and our hearts to truly meet the needs of children who have fought, and who are fighting, the battle that is childhood cancer.
*Please keep Jade in your prayers– surgery tomorrow.
Hair!
Melinda Marchiano 
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