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Living With Childhood Cancer
by Leigh A. Woznick and Carol D. Goodheart
APA Life Tools, American Psychological Association, 2002
For the practicing psychologist, working with painful life experiences is de rigueur. Having said this, the crisis of “childhood cancer” goes beyond the usual for even the most experienced clinicians. Living With Childhood Cancer by Leigh A. Woznick and Carol D. Goodheart is a masterpiece in managing this life trauma. Written for families of children with cancer, this book is a compendium of forthright parental experiences and specific, professional suggestions to enhance coping skills. Together, the familial and professional voices shepherd the reader through the cancer experience.
The book is divided into 13 easy-to-read chapters and an extensive resource list. Each chapter offers a menu of “gentle reminders” for improved coping, anecdotes from parents who validate the experience, and literary quotes that bolster the spirit. Unlike most professionally written books, there is a welcome absence of jargon, theorizing and over-intellectualized discussion.
Although chapters are organized sequentially according to the usual experience of cancer, it is worth noting that any chapter can be read independently. This feature is a valuable time-saver for the busy professional and a comfort to the overwhelmed parent. For example, concerns for siblings of cancer patients are clearly and concisely addressed in a subsection of the chapter, “Understanding the Impact on Your Family and Friends”. Without reading the preceding chapters, the concerned parent would, in a few pages, be able to recognize the usual sibling responses and identify appropriate coping strategies. Carefully woven into these suggestions are helpful outside resources, such as “Sibshops” a workshop and summer camp program for siblings of cancer patients.
Throughout the book, there is a shared emphasis on tips for coping and suggestions for prevention and/or minimization of distress. For example, the chapter “Relieving Pain and Side Effects” discusses assessing and managing a child’s pain and encourages parents to develop a “pain plan”. This chapter also offers suggestions for avoiding and minimizing pain including the use of topical anesthetics for needle procedures, conscious sedation for more invasive procedures and specific suggestions for distracting children during medical procedures. Additionally, there is a clear age based presentation on how children express pain, the predominant related fears and appropriate suggestions for comforting the child.
For parents faced with a dying child, there are two exquisitely sensitive and helpful chapters that address everything from “how to tell a child he/she is dying” to parental preparation for the child’s death.
Lastly, there is an elaborate and extensive annotated resource section offering specific direction for predictable concerns (e.g. medical information) as well as resources designed to put the fun and future back into a child’s life including humor, pen pals, summer camps and college scholarships.
In conclusion, if you are a practicing psychologist, you need to own this book. My suggestion is to purchase it sooner rather than later, as it will be a most valuable and comforting resource to turn to if and when you hear the words “childhood cancer”.