The Childhood Cancer Blog
The Childhood Cancer Blog
After a childhood cancer diagnosis, life can feel out of control—and it can be hard to hold your child steady through treatment.
by Trish Adkins, ALSF
The moment your child is diagnosed with childhood cancer is the moment your world shifts—forever. Fear, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, days and nights in the hospital and blood draws become part of your daily routine. For your family, life can feel out of control—and it can be hard to hold your child steady through their diagnosis.
Tommi McHugh, a child life specialist and educator at the Children’s Hospital of Colorado in Denver, says there are things you can do to help your child and your entire... Read More
Maddie spent Valentine’s Day 2017 in surgery to remove a tumor from her spine, marking her third tumor resection in as many years.
by Trish Adkins, ALSF
When you meet 8-year-old Maddie Davis, you might notice the pink highlights in her hair, her adorable dimpled smile and her advanced vocabulary (she reads at the 9th-grade level).
If you look closer, you might notice the silvery scar that snakes down the back of her neck or the way her right leg turns in just a little when she walks.
And if you ask her where she spent last Valentine’s Day, you will find out what makes this little girl a warrior.
Maddie spent... Read More
Ruth Ciamarra and her daughter, Anna.
by Trish Adkins, ALSF staff
Moments before Ruth Ciamarra found herself lying on a gurney next to her 5-year-old daughter Anna, doctors announced that Anna had leukemia and needed treatment immediately.
“My hearing went out; I was pretending to listen and nodding along with everything the doctor said. Then I interrupted the doctor and said ‘I’m about to pass out,’ as I tilted backward,” said Ruth.
Earlier in the day, Ruth took Anna to her pediatrician to rule out a strep throat infection. Her symptoms did not seem... Read More
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