Having cancer isn't easy for kids or adults. It's OK to feel stressed out, worried, and angry. Remember, though, that doctors are getting better and better at treating and curing cancer. These days, cancer is often treated successfully and the kids who have it lead normal lives.

Still, maybe you feel afraid of being sick or of dying. Talk to your parents or relatives about this. Talk to your doctors and nurses. These people can help make you feel better. Talk to someone you trust about the things about cancer that scare you or make you mad. If you don't want to talk about what you're feeling, maybe you can draw it in a picture or write it down.

Maybe you feel guilty when you see how worried your family is. Feeling guilty or worried is OK but you should realize that it's not your fault you got cancer. You may notice that your brother or sister and your parents act worried or upset - this is normal. They are worried about you and they want you to get better, too. Sometimes it's helpful for kids and adults to talk to a counselor. This is a person who knows how to help others talk about how they feel. Having cancer can make you feel things that are hard to talk about. A counselor can help you deal with whatever you are feeling.

Kids at school may act different and may be curious about why you were absent from school or why you lost your hair. Some kids with cancer don't want to talk about it at school. Others want their classmates to ask them questions so they
know what is going on. Whatever you choose to do is fine - it's your decision.

When you learn you have cancer and while you go through treatment, you will probably feel things you have never felt before. Whatever you are feeling or thinking, you should talk to someone about it. If you're not sure who to talk to, ask a nurse at the hospital or someone else you trust and they can help you. The most important thing is that you talk to someone about what you are feeling.

What Is a Clinical Trial?

Doctors and nurses will ask you and your parents if you want to take part in a clinical trial. This is a study that tests new ways of helping kids who have cancer. For example, some trials test out the newest cancer medicines. Others test ways of making treatments easier on kids.

If you are asked to take part in a clinical trial, you and your parents will have a chance to talk it over and decide what is best for you. A lot of kids with cancer take part in clinical trials.

Recovering from Cancer

After your treatments are over, it will take some time before you feel better. You might think you look funny because you may have lost your hair, you've gotten skinny or gained weight, or you have a puffy face. You probably won't be able to play sports or do some of the other things you like until you feel stronger again.

The goal of your treatments is remission first and then cure. Remission means that your doctor can't find any more cancer cells in your body. But, even when you reach remission, you still have to get more treatment. Even if the doctors think you are cured, you'll still need to go to the doctor for tests. She will want to make sure that the cancer doesn't come back. If it does, she'll be able to find it early and treat it right away.

Even as you get older, you'll probably need to see the doctor for tests more often than other kids do. Cancer treatments are so strong that sometimes they can have long-lasting side effects. For example, they might affect how some kids grow or how certain parts of their bodies, like the heart or lungs or brain, work. Also, kids who had cancer are more likely to get it again than other kids who've never had it.

Most kids with cancer go on to live normal, healthy lives. In some cases, though, the cancer might be very hard to treat because it has metastasized, or spread to different parts of the body. Or it might even come back after treatment.