Childhood Cancer ~ A General Guide for Parents Part IV: Questions Your Child May Ask

In Part 1 of this series we explained that this series of articles is not meant to be medical advice, but a guide that may help you as a parent of a newly diagnosed child with cancer cope just a bit better. Information is knowledge, and never more so than when you are dealing with childhood cancer!

These articles are meant to help you be the key part of your child’s treatment that you will need to be. Take what works for you according to your situation and your child’s temperament, personality, fears, strengths, and how they deal with adversity, and leave what does not pertain to your situation.

Part 4 will deal with Questions Your Child May Ask when they are diagnosed with cancer, regarding how they got cancer, what tests the doctors may conduct, and what treatment they may have to undergo.

Childhood Cancer ~ A General Guide for Parents Part III: Talking to Your Child about Their Cancer

As previously explained, this series of articles is not meant to be medical advice, but a guide that may help you as a parent of a newly-diagnosed child with cancer cope just a bit better. Information is knowledge, and never more so than when you are dealing with childhood cancer!

These articles are meant to help you be the key part of your child’s treatment that you will need to be. Take what works for you according to your situation and your child’s temperament, personality, fears, strengths, and how they deal with adversity, and leave what does not pertain to your situation.

Part 3 will deal with talking to your child about their cancer; should you or shouldn’t you; when should you; who should tell your child, and how much you should tell your child.

Fly High Erin Griffin ~Forever 14~

 Photo: Erin Griffin with Col Reynolds, founder of The Kid’s Cancer Project

It was with great sadness that Little Fighters Cancer Trust heard the news that Childhood Cancer Campaigner Erin Griffin died at the Children’s Hospital in Adelaide with her parents, brother and grandmother by her side.

In 2013, Erin received a Children’s Week Award for her advocacy work in raising childhood cancer awareness. Erin was born in Scotland and moved to Australia when she was six. She was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an incurable brain cancer, on February 18, 2012.

Erin died on September 1, less than an hour after Childhood Cancer Awareness Month began.

On Facebook, a spokesman for The Truth 365 documentary about childhood cancer said: “Her mum Amanda says she knew that Erin was holding on until September 1 because her mission in life was to spread international awareness of childhood cancer,” he said.

“Amanda said that Erin died peacefully with her family by her side. Her tumour will go to DIPG research in Sydney.”

Erin started a petition in November 2013 to give to the Australian Senate calling for paediatric cancer research to be made a national priority and for the development of a national plan for the advancement of childhood cancer research.

She met with Congress in the US on the issue and delivered a speech on childhood cancer awareness at Curefest in Washington DC, where the cancer community met with leading paediatric oncologists and US government leaders every year.

A Happy & Blessed Father’s Day to ALL the Fathers out there!

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,
And then there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it – Dad.

Heini’s Story

Heini going for his brain op

Little Heini’s Story

I want to tell Heini’s story in the hope that those that have not yet been touched by cancer will understand how a mother feels, what she goes through, and what cancer is! I am posting a photo of Heini’s second big brain operation in 2012.

Little (Heini) Heinrich van Straaten went to school like any other little boy when mom Lize had to go to work. He did not play with his friends much, just stood around with his hands in his pockets.

Heini was 3 years old when he started bumping into things in October 2012; he was continuously nauseous and told his mother he had a headache. Everyone thought it was not the truth, until it started getting worse. Mom took him to the hospital on the 12th November 2012.

Dedicated to our Little Fighters

To All our Little Fighters……

You are ALL Heroes to us!

Our Heroes