Childhood Cancer...Everyone Suffers

Helping Siblings Cope

Here's a website that gives suggestions from families who have had the cancer experience on how to help siblings cope. I found many of their suggestions interesting and insightful!

Just click on the title and it will take you right to it!

Sibling Relationships

Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship.  They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust. 

--Erica E. Goode, "The Secret World of Siblings," U.S. News & World Report, 10 January 1994

Cancer Affects Siblings Too

Words of Inspiration

Cancer is a word, not a sentence. 
--John Diamond

The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart.  
--Nikolai Lenin

Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.  
--Author Unknown

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.  
--Winston Churchill

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.  
--Anne Frank

Never, never, never give up.  
--Winston Churchill

Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there.  
--Author Unknown

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  
--Eleanor Roosevelt

It's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years. 
--Abraham Lincoln

Once you choose hope, anything's possible.
--Christopher Reeve

Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts--its what you do with what you have left.
--Hubert Humphrey

The Site that Helps

http://www.supersibs.org/

Check this site out!

I've searched high and low for a website that focuses on people who have siblings with cancer. This is THE best site I've found so far. In fact, this is exactly what I was looking for. Here's a gander at their website's mission statement and purpose:

Every day in the United States and Canada, more than 46 children are diagnosed with cancer. And every day, the brothers and sisters of these children are thrust into a world of experiences that will leave a lasting mark on their lives forever.

This mark may be a positive influence to negotiate life moving forward or it may be a painful "emotional scar" from which to heal. Over 18,000 new siblings are affected each year, as his or her brother or sister is diagnosed with cancer.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, EVERYONE in the family needs healing, including the siblings. These vulnerable brothers and sisters are often left with insufficient support from which to understand that they're not alone, they're not at fault and that their feelings are valid. Together, we can help siblings understand — especially during the fight against cancer — that they are special and important people, too, and that there is support available for their unique needs. SuperSibs! has worked tirelessly to help change the culture of pediatric oncology to ensure that sibling support is integrated into all aspects of care. While we’ve made great strides, we have a long way to go to help these thousands of vulnerable children and teens heal.

In October 2007, The Institute of Medicine released a special report highlighting the need for integrated, ongoing psychosocial services for patients and their families. SuperSibs! believes this is a right for every member of the family, to ensure total family healing. We pledge to help siblings redefine the "cancer sibling" experience - by educating and equipping professionals nationwide to integrate these services, and by providing barrier-free direct support to siblings and their families across the U.S. and Canada. Thank you for exploring our website for your role in this journey! 

 Don't take my word for it...go look at it for  yourself. I was highly impressed with the information that is provided on this site.

My Story--My Hero

This is my hero. 

His name is Morgan. He's my 23 year old brother who passed away from Ewing's Sarcoma--a type of cancer. They found a tumor in his shoulder in May of 2006 and by January of 2007 he was gone. My brother was an amazing person, and he taught me so much while he fought his battle with cancer. He was a warrior through it all and never gave in to this unforgiving disease. Even in the end, it was pnemonia that finally took him.

I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters in my family. Morgan is the oldest. Then comes Jeff, and then me. I'm the oldest girl, and at the time, I was the oldest child living in my parents' house. Morgan was on his own in an apartment in town, and Jeff was on a mission for our church in Houston, Texas.

This meant that when Morgan was diagnosed, I felt like I had to be the strong one. I had to be the example for my five younger siblings....and it was hard.

 Morgan's Blog