National Cancer Institute
U.S. National Institutes of Health | www.cancer.gov

NCI Home
Cancer Topics
Clinical Trials
Cancer Statistics
Research & Funding
News
About NCI
When Your Parent Has Cancer: A Guide for Teens
    Posted: 04/05/2006



This Booklet Is For You






You've Just Learned That Your Parent Has Cancer






Learning About Cancer






Cancer Treatment






What Your Parent May Be Feeling






Changes in Your Family






Taking Care of Yourself






Finding Support






You and Your Friends






How You Can Help Your Parent






After Treatment






The Road Ahead






Learning More on Your Own






Appendix A: Monitoring Tests






Appendix B: Cancer Team Members






Acknowledgments



Page Options
Print This Page
Print This Document
View Entire Document
E-Mail This Document
View/Print PDF
Order Free Copy
Quick Links
Director's Corner

Dictionary of Cancer Terms

NCI Drug Dictionary

Funding Opportunities

NCI Publications

Advisory Boards and Groups

Science Serving People

Español
Quit Smoking Today
NCI Highlights
Report to Nation Finds Declines in Cancer Incidence, Death Rates

High Dose Chemotherapy Prolongs Survival for Leukemia

Prostate Cancer Study Shows No Benefit for Selenium, Vitamin E

The Nation's Investment in Cancer Research FY 2009

Past Highlights
This Booklet Is For You

How To Use This Booklet

If your mom, dad, or an adult close to you has cancer, this booklet is for you.

Here you can read about what has helped other teens get through this tough time.

Doctors, nurses, social workers, friends, and family are working hard to help your mom or dad get better. You are a very important part of that team, too.

In the weeks and months ahead, you may feel a whole range of emotions. Some days will be good, and things might seem like they used to. Other days may be harder.

This booklet can help prepare you for some of the things you might face. It can also help you learn to handle living with a parent or relative who has cancer.

Free copies of this booklet are available from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). To learn more about cancer or to request this booklet, visit NCI's Web site (www.cancer.gov). You can also call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) to order the booklet or talk with an information specialist.

How To Use This Booklet

You may want to read this booklet cover to cover. Or maybe you'll just read those sections that interest you most. Some teens pull the booklet out now and again when they need it.

You may want to share this booklet with your mom, dad, brothers, and sisters. It might help you bring up something that has been on your mind. You could ask people in your family to read a certain chapter and then talk about it together later.

We've put words that may be new to you in bold. Click on the words to see their definitions.

Next Section >


A Service of the National Cancer Institute
Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health USA.gov