Product Description

At some point in our lives, many of us will face the crisis of an unexpected illness. For parents, the fear, anxiety and confusion resulting from a cancer diagnosis can be particularly devastating.

When A Parent Has Cancer is a book for families written from the heart of experience. A mother, physician, and cancer survivor, Dr Wendy Harpham offers clear, direct, and sympathetic advice for parents challenged with the task of raising normal, healthy children while they struggle with a potentially life–threatening disease.

Dr Harpham lays the groundwork of her book with specific plans for helping children through the upheaval of a parent's diagnosis and treatment, remission and recovery, and if necessary, confronting the possibility of death. She emphasises the importance of being honest with children about the gravity of the illness, while assuring them that their basic needs will always be met.

Included is Becky and the Worry Cup, an illustrated children's book that tells the story of a seven–year–old girl's experiences with her mother's cancer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #479473 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-01
• Released on: 2004-09-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060740818
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Library Journal
Harpham (After Cancer, LJ 8/94) deals here with "the difficulties of raising children when a parent has cancer and proposes approaches for preventing and responding to common problems in a healthy way." Harpham, a parent with cancer, is also a physician, and the last 47 pages of this title is a children's book, Becky and the Worry Cup, drawn from the experience of her own children. In discussing parenting issues, Harpham includes examples for handling specific problems, with especially important points set in boldface. Although most of the book deals with caring for children under the age of ten, there is a chapter on teenagers. Appendixes include a glossary that children can understand, a list of resources and support groups, and a bibliography for children and parents. A similar offering is Pat Brack's Moms Don't Get Sick (LJ 8/90). Recommended for consumer health/patient education collections.?Mary J. Jarvis, Methodist Hosp. Medical Lib., Lubbock, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
A parent's cancer is a family crisis. Children will adapt, however, if their fundamental physical and emotional needs are met, if they understand what is happening, and if they know that they will be cared for no matter what happens. Basing her efforts on those three perceptions and drawing on her expertise as a physician and her experience as a person with cancer, Harpham provides practical advice on caring for children of all ages during diagnosis and treatment and helpful insights for helping them cope with grief, loss, uncertainty, and fear of death. She accompanies her guidance for parents with a story for children--"Becky and the Worry Cup" --that illustrates the concerns kids have and how parents can help them cope. Both the guidebook and the story are sympathetic, sensitive to intense emotions, and, above all, empowering to parents and children facing the significant changes life-threatening illness demands of a family. Kathryn Carpenter

Review
"Practical advice...helpful insights." -- Library Journal

Customer Reviews

This is a stunning book written by a survivor
Based on her own experiences with cancer, Harpham offers insightful, compassionate and sound advice to parents. Most books on this subject talk about how to break the news to children and deal with their initial reaction. This book goes beyond that, dealing with the issues that arise during the long months of treatment. Becky and the Worry Cup is a wonderful companion piece that will comfort children of all ages

Fabulous Book for an unfortunate topic
When my husband was diagnosed with cancer our children were 5 and 7 years old. This book gave us the tools to use to talk to them about cancer. Illness, chemotherapy and even death were topics that we suddenly had to confront. Dr. Harpham's book provided insight in dealing with a frigtening topic in a calm and reasuring manner.

When a parent has cancer:
This is an excellent guide for being a parent, not just a parent with cancer. You can tell that Dr. Harpham has put enormous energy into making sure her children are affected as little as possible by her illness. Our children would be so lucky if they were not affected by our bad days, our obcessions, or our tainted view of reality. There are a lot of feel good about being a parent books out there. This is an excellent practical guide.