When a family member is diagnosed with cancer, it affects everyone, including the children. Every day in Australia, 38 children discover that their Mum or Dad has cancer.
For these kids the enormity of the diagnosis has an impact on their emotional well-being. They can feel afraid, alone, and isolated.
This was exactly what happened to Lian, when her family received the devastating news that she had breast cancer. Lian underwent two surgeries, followed by six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“Lian and I shared the diagnosis with the children almost immediately. We wanted to understand their worries and support them through everything,” said husband Naysan.
“Although our eldest two tried to stay calm and strong, our youngest was distraught and even refused to go to school on the days Lian had her surgeries.”
Camp Quality has been able to provide support to families like Lian’s, navigating a cancer diagnosis. Their Kids Impacted by Carer Cancer (KICC) Family Camps and Fun Days offer a welcome break from treatment, opportunities for family bonding, and a chance to connect with other families on similar journeys.
“Camp Quality’s camps and fun days help by giving all of us a look ahead of how things will turn out (it will get better!), to share experiences of how to deal with everything from doctors’ visits to medications to side-effects management and most fundamental of all, for the children to make new friends and friends that have shared a common, significant experience.”
With Telethon’s support, Camp Quality’s KICC Family Camps and Fun Days connect families going through similar challenges, creating a supportive community where words like cancer and chemo are not taboo.