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| Photo By Daniel Danzico |
“You have cancer.” Those are words
no one wants to hear, let alone a parent with small children. Yet,
Jen Singer heard those words when she was diagnosed with stage three
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2007. This mother of two young sons tried
to steer her kids through her rounds of chemotherapy and radiation
while looking for a comprehensive reference place for parents to find
helpful information. When she couldn't find either books or a
website that provided what she was looking for, she swore that if she
made it to remission, she would start such a site.
That's how ParentingWithCancer.com came
to be. It's “the place where moms and dads can go to find out how
to tell their children the words they never thought they’d have to
say, 'I have cancer.'” It discusses the initial diagnosis, the
emotions the family will deal with, treatments the patient may face,
and life changes that will need to be made. The site provides a safe
place where people can share their stories and seeks to reassure
parents and kids going through this ordeal that you are not alone.
Ms. Singer's website contains several
sections, among them:
- A Parent's Section, which tells the personal stories of parents who had cancer and how they dealt with having a family and navigating the illness.
- A Spouses & Caregivers' Section, with even more personal stories about cancer patients and their loved ones. I especially liked the posting on Why Protecting Your Kids From Your Cancer Can Hurt Them.
- A section For Children, which contains postings like My Parent Had Cancer And It Really Sucked and When Mom Or Dad Has Cancer
The site also contains a Reference page
of invaluable resources you may not find anywhere else.
ParentingWithCancer.com tackles
conversations you might not want to have, but once you have cancer,
will need to. It helps patients face, head on, topics that may
appear taboo and provides courage and guidance when those topics need
to be addressed. Ms. Singer's site is invaluable to anyone facing a
diagnosis of cancer and their loved ones as well. Check it out,
bookmark it, and then pass it along to someone who might need it.
Note: This article first appeared on www.thegeekparent.com.
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