By Tania Shiminski-Maher, Patsy Cullen, Maria
Sansalone
November 2001
ISBN: 0-596-50009-2
568 pages, $29.95 US, $44.95 CA
Cancer of the brain and spinal cord strikes about 2,200 children a year. The latest advances in medical care make it imperative that families actively participate in care and choose options that will give their children the fewest side effects, longest remissions, and best chance for cure.
Childhood Brain & Spinal Cord Tumors, the only complete parent guide available, includes detailed and precise medical information about both benign and malignant brain and spinal cord tumors that strike children and adolescents. It describes the whole range of medical and surgical options, including newer techniques that are practiced by a small number of surgeons, and is reviewed by numerous medical experts. In addition, it offers day-to-day practical advice on how to cope with procedures, hospitalization, family and friends, school, social and financial issues, communication, and feelings.
Woven among the medical details and the practical advice are the voices of parents and children who have lived with cancer and its treatments. As many parents have already found, advice from "veteran" parents can be a lifeline.
Obtaining a basic understanding of topics such as medical terminology, how drugs work, common side effects of chemotherapy, and how to work more effectively with medical personnel can only improve the quality of life for the whole family suffering along with their child. Having parents describe their own emotional ups and downs, how they coped, and how they molded their family life around hospitalizations can be a tremendous comfort. Just knowing that there are other kids on chemotherapy who refuse to eat anything but tacos or who have frequent rages can make one feel less alone.
Parents who read this book will encounter medical facts simply explained, advice to ease their daily life, and tools to be a strong advocate for their child. Includes extensive resources and a pull-out medical record-keeper.
