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More information from your American Cancer Society

We have selected some related information that may also be helpful to you. These materials may be ordered from our toll-free number, 1-800-227-2345.

  • It Helps to Have Friends When Mom or Dad Has Cancer (for children of a parent with cancer)

Books from your American Cancer Society

The following books are available from the American Cancer Society. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 to ask about costs or to place your order.

National organizations and Web sites*

For adults with cancer:

National Cancer Institute
Toll-free number: 1-800-422-6237 or 1-800-4-CANCER
Web site: www.cancer.gov

Planet Cancer (teens and adults under 40 with cancer)
Web site: www.planetcancer.org

Cancer Hope Network
Toll-free number 1-877-467-3638
Web site: www.cancerhopenetwork.org

CancerCare
Toll-free number: 1-800-813-4673
Web site: www.cancercare.org

Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF)
Toll-free number: 1-866-673-7205
Web site: www.livestrong.org

For children and teens who have a parent with cancer:

Cancer Really Sucks (an internet-only resource designed for teenagers by teenagers who have loved ones facing cancer)
Web site: www.cancerreallysucks.org

Cancercare for Kids (especially for children with a parent, sibling, or other family member who has cancer)
Toll-free number: 1-800-813-4673
Web site: www.cancercareforkids.org

Kids Konnected (for children and teenagers who have a parent with cancer and for those who have lost a parent to cancer)
Toll-free number: 1-800-899-2866 (If you get voicemail, leave message to receive a return call within 24 hours.)
Web site: www.kidskonnected.org

Kidscope (has special online materials, a comic book for children about chemotherapy and another item about breast cancer in the family)
Telephone: 404-892-1437 (voicemail is only checked once per week)
Web site: www.kidscope.org

National Cancer Institute (to learn more about cancer, or to get special information for teens; you can call to order a special booklet for teens whose parents have cancer or read it online at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/when-your-parent-has-cancer-guide-for-teens)
Toll-free number: 1-800-422-6237
Web site: www.cancer.gov

The Dougy Center (information on grieving a loss, and referrals to programs across the country and internationally that serve grieving children, teens, and their families)
Telephone: 1-866-775-5683
Web site: www.dougy.org

Other publications*

Books for parents with cancer

Can I Still Kiss You? Answering Your Children's Questions About Cancer by Neil Russell. Published by HCI, 2001

Helping Your Children Cope With Your Cancer: A Guide for Parents by Peter Van Dernoot and Madelyn Case. Published by Hatherleigh Press, 2002

How to Help Children Through a Parent's Serious Illness by Kathleen McCue and Ron Bonn. Published by St. Martin's Press, 1996

Life and Loss: A Guide to Help Grieving Children by Linda Goldman. Published by Taylor and Francis Group, 2nd Edition, 1999

When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your Children by Wendy S. Harpham. Published by HarperCollins, Publishers, 2001

When Someone in Your Family Has Cancer. National Cancer Institute, 1-800-4-CANCER or www.cancer.gov

Books for children and teens

Becky and the Worry Cup, by Wendy Harpham. Published by HarperCollins, 1997. Best for ages 5-10. (Sold with When a Parent Has Cancer, by the same author.)

Facing change: Coming Together & Falling Apart in The Teen Years. Compassion Press, 2004. Best for teens.

Fire in My Heart: Ice in My Veins by Enid Samuel-Traisman 2003. Published by Centering Corporation. Best for teens.

I know I Made It Happen by Lynn Bennett Blackburn. 2003. Published by Centering Corporation. Best for ages 6 to 12.

In Mommy's Garden: A Book to Help Explain Cancer to Young Children by Neyal J Ammary. Published by Canyon Beach Visual Communications, 2004. Best for very young children. Also available in Spanish.

Lost and Found: A Kid's Book for Living Through Loss by Marc Gellman and Debbie Tilley. Published by HarperCollins, 1999. Best for ages 9 to 12.

My Mommy Has Cancer by Carolyn S. Parkinson. Published by Solace Publishers, 1991. Best for ages 4 to 7.

Sammy's Mommy Has Cancer (Books to Help Children) by Sherry Kohlenberg, Published by Gareth Stevens Publishers, 1994. Best for ages 4 to 7

The Paper Chain by Claire Blake, Eliza Blanchard, and Kathy Parkinson. Published by Health Press, 1998. Best for ages 4 to 9.

The Year My Mother Was Bald by Ann Speltz and Kate Sternberg. Published by American Psychological Association, 2002. Best for ages 9 to 12.

Tickles Tabitha's Cancer - Tankerous Mommy by Amelia Frahm. Published by Hutchinson, Nutcracker Publishing Company, 2001. Best for ages 4 to 7.

Vanishing Cookies: Doing OK When a Parent Has Cancer by Michelle B. Goodman. Published by Michelle B. Goodman, 1991. Best for ages 9 to 12.

Videos for children and adults

We Can Cope: Helping Parents Help Children When a Parent Has Cancer. DVD has sections for teens, younger children, and parents, as well as a guidebook on how to use it. Check your cancer treatment center library or call Inflexxion at 1-800-848-3895, extension 276 (try extension 201 if no response from 276) to find out how to buy it. (Cost is $99.95 so you may want to try to borrow it or buy a used copy.)

Kids Tell Kids What it's Like When Their Mother or Father has Cancer. Children talk about coping with their parents' cancer; best watched as a family, to help kids and parents talk about cancer's effects in their lives. Check your cancer center treatment library or buy DVD from www.cancervive.org (cost: $40.00 new).

*Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.

No matter who you are, we can help. Contact us anytime, day or night, for information and support. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

Go back to Helping Children When A Family Member Has Cancer: Understanding Psychosocial Support Services.

Last Medical Review: 05/28/2009
Last Revised: 05/28/2009

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Detailed Guide
Also in this area
Cancer Affects Every Family Member  
What Are Psychosocial Support Services and Who Offers Them?  
Why Would I or My Family Member Need Psychological Help at This Time?  
What Kind of Support Services Can I Expect From the Hospital Where I Am Being Treated?  
What Kind of Support Services Should I Think About?  
What Can I Expect with Individual Counseling?  
What Is Psychoeducation Counseling?  
When Is Family Counseling a Better Option?  
What Should I Look at if I Decide on a Support Group?  
Are There Support Groups For Children?  
What Qualities Should I Look for in a Cancer Counselor?  
Will My Insurance Pay for Counseling Services?  
How Will I Know If I Need Counseling or Other Support?  
How Will I Know If My Children Need Help?  
Why Do Some People Resist Getting Help with Emotional or Family Problems?  
Why Do Some People Need Extra Help While Others Don't Seem To?  
How Will I Know If Counseling Is Working?  
Additional Resources  
References  
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Prevention & Early Detection  
Bookstore  
Circle Of Sharing: Personalize Your Cancer Information  
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