| One of the hardest parts about being diagnosed with | | | | lethargic afterwards. You may be having |
| breast cancer is how to tell your children about it. | | | | chemotherapy treatments that make you violently |
| Generally speaking, the best thing to do is to be | | | | sick and make you lose your hair as well. Your |
| honest with them. If they don't hear it from you | | | | children need to know that the alteration in your |
| now, they're bound to find out some other way - | | | | behavior and the decrease in your accessibility to |
| they'll overhear a conversation when you assume | | | | them isn't happening because you don't love them or |
| they're out of the room, or a friend or neighbor will | | | | because they've been bad and this is their |
| inadvertently say something. And when they hear it | | | | punishment. |
| that way, in the form of a terrible secret they were | | | | Some surgeons encourage breast cancer patients to |
| never supposed to know, it will be a lot more | | | | bring young children to the examining room with |
| horrifying for them. By talking about it openly with | | | | them. It could be very helpful for a daughter in |
| them, you can demystify it. In addition, if all goes well | | | | particular to see her mother being examined. If you |
| your children gain an opportunity to learn about | | | | are being treated with radiation or chemotherapy in a |
| survival after breast cancer. Kids need to know they | | | | center where your children are permitted to see the |
| can trust you - you don't want to do anything to | | | | treatment areas, it's a good idea to bring them along |
| violate that trust. It's a two-way communication; | | | | once or twice a week. The environments aren't |
| remember also to listen to their fears. If you find it | | | | intimidating and a child who doesn't know what's |
| difficult to bring up the subject, there are children's | | | | happening to you in the hospital can conjure up awful |
| books you can get that can give you a place to | | | | images of what "those people" are doing to mom. |
| begin. | | | | Breast cancer has particularly complex ramifications |
| How you tell them about your breast cancer | | | | for a mother and her daughter. Aside from all the |
| diagnosis, of course, will depend on the ages of your | | | | normal fears any child has to deal with, a daughter |
| children and their own emotional vulnerability. They | | | | might worry about whether this will happen to her, |
| must be told very directly that they did not cause | | | | too. It's not a wholly unfounded fear, since there is a |
| the cancer by thoughts, words, anger, dreams, | | | | genetic component to breast cancer. You need to |
| wishes, etc. Your children will also be affected in | | | | reassure your daughter, explain to her that it is not |
| other ways; you may be gone for a few days in the | | | | inevitable but as she gets older she should learn |
| hospital and will need to rest when you come home; | | | | about her breasts and be very conscious of the need |
| you may be getting daily radiation therapy, which will | | | | for monitoring. |
| consume a lot of your time and leave you tired and | | | | |