FIND THE HELP YOU NEED
Cancer affects young people's lives in different ways. Generally, children respond to cancer treatment like normal children responding to a very difficult situation.
Whether they continue attending school, college or university will depend on their treatment - some will be fine to carry on as usual, others will need time off. You, as someone who plays a vital role in their further or higher education, can help them to stay engaged with learning and provide them with much needed continuity in their lives, among the disruption that cancer causes.
For some families, the transition to school can be difficult. Parents worry about their child’s increased vulnerability to infection and fatigue. As well, there is often concern over the reaction other people will have to the obvious side effects such as hair loss, weight gain, etc.
Classmates must be well prepared in advance for the young person’s return, including what changes to expect and how to react in order to alleviate their own discomfort and possible fears about cancer.
Suggestions on supporting your student, family and classmates, as well as advice on how to cope with the situation will be found in following section.