Louise Campbell, 30, remembers how her parents tried to maintain some normality during her leukaemia treatment. As an expectant mother, she also explains how she now finds herself looking back on her own childhood with a different perspective.
Valerie Tomlin is a children’s cancer nurse at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.
Here, a teacher shares their experience of having a child with cancer in their school and how they’ve created a safe, supportive and, importantly, ‘normal’ environment for them.
Going back to school can be scary for both you and your child, but it’s important for their mental wellbeing. It helps them to feel ‘normal’ and lessens the isolation and loneliness which many children with cancer face. It gives structure to their day, a focus on the future and is where they can learn and develop social skills and make friends.
Kerry Brown, mum to Felix who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in 2016, explains how her family navigated the challenges of Felix’s education during treatment
Leukaemia, lockdown and learning… Vicky Newman, whose daughter Alexandra has leukaemia, writes on how lockdown actually helped to reduce gaps in Alex’s education and the isolation she had felt previously when away from school.
Senior Academic Consultant at University of York, Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Leeds Children’s Hospital and CCLG member
Penelope Hart-Spencer, Health Play Specialist at The Christie Hospital, tells us about the development of ‘Anna loses her hair’. The award-winning CCLG publication helps educate children on hair loss during cancer treatment.
Mr Robert Wheeler, Consultant Neonatal & Paediatric Surgeon at Southampton Children’s Hospital whose main interest is children’s cancer surgery, tells us how his passion for watercolour painting helps educate and inform families about procedures.
