Siblings

Barretstown in Ireland offers free, specially designed camps and programmes for children living and families living with cancer and other serious illnesses. Here, Siobhan Kavanagh, its Director of Medical and Programme, tells us about their support for siblings.

Elizabeth’s daughter, Sarah, who also has Down syndrome, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2016, aged 15. Here, she tells us how her youngest daughter, Hannah, then eight, provided support to her sister, and about the challenges of balancing family life while a child is on treatment.

Rosa Kaminska’s son, George, was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma in December 2022 aged six. Here, she explains the impact of this on George’s sister, Anna, what helped them as a family during his early treatment, and offers advice to others.

Rebecca Wood is CEO of Tom’s Trust, a charity that provides psychological support to children with brain tumours and their families. Here, she explains how the charity recognised the need to help families support the brothers and sisters of children with cancer by developing an expert-written sibling toolkit.

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, this is felt across the whole family, and though not undergoing treatment themselves, siblings are often affected in ways that may be less visible but deeply felt. Here, Dr Claire Wright, Clinical Psychologist at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, explains how siblings might feel, and offers tips and advice to help support them.

Colette Robinson-Mellor's daughter, Hollie, was diagnosed with an eye cancer, called retinoblastoma, aged 13 months in 2024. Here, Colette tells us how Hollie’s brother, Ted, who was four at the time of his sister’s diagnosis, helped and supported the whole family, and how they also navigated his own worries.

Evie Mattison was nine years old when her brother, Dan, was diagnosed with leukaemia as a teenager in 2014. Here, she describes what helped her during Dan’s treatment, and how her family’s experiences have shaped her life, studies and ambitions.

There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to supporting siblings of children and young people with cancer. There are, however, key components of support that can make a big difference to siblings, which we’ve established through listening to the voices of siblings* themselves.

Senior Family Support Practitioner at the Child and Family Support Service within Diana Children’s Community Service in Leicestershire.

Current treatments for childhood leukaemia are effective but often damage healthy cells. As a result, patients often have lifelong health problems. Our research aims to identify "kinder" drugs by using genetically engineered "twin" cells to compare how healthy and cancerous cells respond to treatment.

Andy Calvert’s daughter Keira was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2022 aged 14. Andy tells us how the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has supported both her and her younger siblings, Hayley, Aden and Andrew, with their sailing and adventure trips.

When Gill Thaxter’s daughter, Lisa passed away from osteosarcoma, it had a profound impact on her other daughter, Rebecca. Here, Gill tells us how communication helped their family navigate the loss together.

When a child faces cancer, the impact extends to the entire family. Rich Driffield, CEO of The Joshua Tree, discusses the charity's mission to support patients and their siblings.