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Childhood Cancer Resources
Pediatric Oncology Resource Center
This site has information on the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer, explanations of some of the diagnostic tests and treatments that kids undergo, and best of all, lots of pictures of cancer kids and their families. A great place to send concerned family members right after diagnosis to help them understand what you and your child are going through.
Candlelighters
Childhood Cancer Foundation
Candlelighters is a support organization for families of
children with cancer, of which we are a local affiliate. At their web site, you can search to see if there's
a local chapter near you, post a question to the message boards or order
some of their excellent resource materials to serve as a guide through the
childhood cancer experience for you and your child.
Childhood
Cancers: Diagnoses and Treatments
You can look up any childhood cancer diagnosis in the National Cancer
Institute's "PDQs" with information on all types of childhood cancers, along
with information on how they are diagnosed, staged and treated.
The Childhood
Cancers Home Page
The Childhood Cancer Home Page of the National Cancer Institute, with information on a wide variety of childhood cancer topics, including clinical trials.
Young People With Cancer:
A Handbook for Parents
An online version of a handbook put out by the National Cancer Institute,
it "discusses the most common types of childhood cancer, treatments and
side effects, and issues that may arise when a child is diagnosed with cancer.
Offers medical information and practical tips gathered from parents."
Making Cancer Less Painful: A Handbook For Parents
Concrete information on the types of pain children face from cancer and cancer treatment, and practical steps to allieviate it. A wonderful resource from Canada.
Pediatric Pain Education for Patients, Families and Nurses
A very large--and expanding--web site from the University of Iowa on
pain control for children, including pain from cancer and cancer treatment.
National Childhood Cancer Foundation--Children's Oncology Group
NCCF is the fund-raising arm of the Children's Oncology Group (COG), the major childhood cancer research group. Together, they have created a web site with information about the diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancers.
Information on leukemia from Nancy Keene's excellent book, "Childhood Leukemia: A Guide for Families, Friends and Caregivers."
This is a comprehensive, thoughtful site put together by a cancer survivor. The site links you to an amazing variety of general cancer resources on the web, and looks at some of the "big picture" issues involved in battling cancer, like whether to get involved in a clinical trial and how to gain perspective when the doctor gives you lousy odds.
A site with information for survivors of childhood cancer, supported by the University of Wisconsin and designed by a long-term childhood cancer and BMT survivor.
A site dedicated to helping chronically ill children cope and thrive in school, with lots of stories by and about kids, including several cancer kids. A must-visit spot for teachers of children with cancer and all school nurses. Very well produced; check out the hospital tour!
The U. S. National Library of Medicine, among others, is now offering FREE medline searches. Use the MEDLINE search engine to get the latest information on any area of medical research.
The Never Ending Squirrel Tale
The Squirrel Tales Childhood Cancer web site has survivor stories, tips and suggestions from parents and kids and an excellent page of links to BMT resources, support services, etc. Scan this always growing web site for lots of other information as well..
The Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology Home
Care Guide
Penn State University offers parents practical information on caring for the medical and physical needs of kids in cancer treatment. Very handy when you're just starting out in this new world of IV medicines, venous catheters, infections, nausea, mouth sores, etc. or when you have a question and the clinic nurse won't be in until Monday.
Pediatric Oncology (PED-ONC) mailing list subscription site
You may subscribe to the PED-ONC internet mailing list at this site, or you may join other mailing lists which center on a variety of cancer related topics. For instance, there is a PED-ALL list, the N-BLASTOMA (neuroblastoma) mailing list and a RHABDO-KIDS list.
You can also make changes to an existing subscription or search the
archives of previous posts. The list is run by a dedicated group
of hard-working volunteer administrators, and most of the list members are
parents of children with cancer you can share information and ideas with.
The mailing lists generate a lot of mail, so look out! Many people
find that it is well worth the deluge of mail, because mailing lists are
a great way to interact with other parents of kids with cancer. Once
you've subscribed and have a sense of the flow of the correspondence, you
can jump in and ask practical care questions, get support and share joys
and difficulties with other people around the world who understand what
you're going through and who speak the same strange medical lingo.
Read the subscription information carefully, so that your contributions
will follow the posting guidelines. Good news--no commercial posts
(spam) allowed!
The long-term effects of childhood cancer
treatment are only recently gaining a lot of attention, thanks to the large
numbers of children who are surviving their cancers and growing to adulthood.
Chemotherapy, surgery and radiation have serious health effects which can
last for a lifetime, and this article addresses the necessity for formal
medical follow-up. This article and the checklists in it are a MUST-READ
for any childhood cancer survivor.
Make-A-Wish is the oldest and largest of the organizations which grant wishes to children facing life-threatening illnesses. Click the link for contact information on your local chapter.
Our mission is to educate, support, serve and
advocate for children with cancer,
their families, survivors of childhood cancer and the professionals who
care for them.
Spring Party
Liberty Mutual
Request a quote for your auto insurance through this link (no purchase necessary) and Capital Candlelighters will receive $10!
If your child is currently on the inpatient unit at the American Family Children's Hospital,
email us
info (at) capcan.org
Capital Candlelighters Online Bookstore