A book specifically for the family member most forgotten when cancer strikes a parent- teens
Let's face it, cancer sucks. This book provides real-life advice from real-life teens designed to help teens live with a parent who is fighting cancer.
One million American teenagers live with a parent who is fighting cancer. It's a hard blow for those already navigating high school, preparing for college, and becoming increasingly independent.
Author Maya Silver was 15 when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. She and her dad, Marc, have combined their family's personal experience with advice from dozens of medical professionals and real stories from 100 teens-all going through the same thing Maya did.
The topic of cancer can be difficult to approach, but in a highly designed, engaging style, this book gives practical guidance that includes-
How to talk about the diagnosis (and what does diagnosis even mean, anyway?) The best outlets for stress (punching a wall is not a great one, but should it happen, there are instructions for a patch job) How to deal with friends (especially one the ones with 'pity eyes') Whether to tell the teachers and guidance counselors and what they should know (how not to get embarrassed in class) What happens in a therapy session and how to find a support group if you want one A special section for parents also gives tips on strategies for sharing the news and explaining cancer to a child, making sure your child doesn't become the parent, what to do if the outlook is grim, and tips for how to live life after cancer.
My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks allows teens to see that they are not alone. That no matter how rough things get, they will get through this difficult time. That everything they're feeling is ok. Essays from Gilda Radner's ""Gilda's Club"" annual contest are an especially poignant and moving testimony of how other teens dealt with their family's situation.
By:
Marc Silver,
Maya Silver
Imprint: Sourcebooks, Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 210mm,
Width: 138mm,
Spine: 17mm
Weight: 330g
ISBN: 9781402273070
ISBN 10: 140227307X
Pages: 261
Publication Date: 05 March 2013
Recommended Age: From 12 to 17 years
Audience:
Young adult
,
Children/juvenile
,
General/trade
,
Preschool (0-5)
,
English as a second language
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1 THE NEWS 1.1 A Hunch 1.2 Why Your Parents Told You the Way They Did 1.3 Why You Reacted the Way You Did 1.4 A Charged Word Chapter 2 CANCER 101 2.1 The Big Question Marks 2.2 Treatments and Their Side Effects 2.3 The Cure: Why Isn't There One Yet? 2.4 True or False 2.5 Tell Me More! Chapter 3 LET'S TALK: HOW TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY COMMUNICATION LINES WIDE OPEN 3.1 How Much Do You Want to Know? 3.2 What If You're Out of the Loop? 3.3 Reality Check: How Far in the Know Can You Go? 3.4 How to Keep Talking...Even If It's in Writing Chapter 4 HOW THINGS WILL CHANGE DURING CANCER 4.1 Teenage Change Is Normal! 4.2 Cancer Sneaking Up on You 4.3 Changes to Expect 4.4 Changes in Your Parent 4.5 Siblings Chapter 5 PARENTIFICATION 5.1 How It Happens 5.2 Catching a Break 5.3 Silence Isn't Golden 5.4 The Big Picture Chapter 6 DEALING WITH STRESS 6.1 How to Beat the Cancer Blues 6.2 Exploring the Options Chapter 7 RISKY BUSINESS 7.1 Former Bad Boys: Gary and Jose Turn It Around 7.2 Former Bad Girls: True Confessions Chapter 8 THE POWER (AND THE LIMITS) OF OPTIMISM AND FAITH 8.1 Think Positive 8.2 Faith and Spirituality Chapter 9 THE BENEFIT OF FRIENDS 9.1 What You Do (and Don't) Want from Your Friends 9.2 Girls Are from Mercury, Boys Are from Neptune 9.3 Accepting Help 9.4 Have Fun with Your Friends If You Can 9.5 But Can They Still Come Over? 9.6 Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and More 9.7 Dealing with Friend Problems 9.8 New Friends Chapter 10 SCHOOL DAZE 10.1 School = More Stress or a Place to Escape? 10.2 To Announce or Not to Announce 10.3 Telling the School 10.4 How the School Can Help 10.5 Dilemmas, Dilemmas 10.6 Keeping Grades Up 10.7 The Need to Achieve 10.8 Pulling a Bueller Chapter 11 SEEKING SUPPORT 11.1 The Adult Who Knows You 11.2 Seeing a Therapist 11.3 Group Support Chapter 12 FACING A DIRE PROGNOSIS 12.1 Facing the News 12.2 How Long Do We Have? 12.3 When the Bad News Isn't All Bad 12.4 Finding Hope When Things Seem Hopeless 12.5 Living for the Moment 12.6 A Different Kind of Hope 12.7 What If You Feel Closer to the Parent with Cancer? 12.8 Avoidance 12.9 Making Memories Chapter 13 LOSING A PARENT TO CANCER 13.1 A Dictionary of Emotions 13.2 Mourning Doesn't Come with an Expiration Date 13.3 All Kinds of Questions 13.4 Life Goes On 13.5 Dealing with Your Emotions 13.6 School Can Be a Comfort...or a Pain 13.7 Music Can Make It Better 13.8 Staying Connected Chapter 14 THE NEW NORMAL: LIFE AFTER CANCER 14.1 What Happens Now? 14.2 New Normal Hiccups and Surprises 14.3 Struggling in the Aftermath 14.4 Becoming an Activist 14.5 Same Old You 14.6 Silver Linings Appendix A THE CAMP FOR KIDS COPING WITH A PARENT'S CANCER Appendix B IN THEIR OWN WORDS Appendix C THE PARENTS' GUIDE Appendix D RESOURCES Acknowledgments About the Authors
Reviews for My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks
Drawing on their own experiences, the Silvers offer advice for finding solace in people who have been there and who have found ways to cope. ... [They] speak with an honesty that teens will identify and find comfort in. - Booklist A first of its kind guide written especially for teenagers who have a parent fighting cancer. - Examiner.com A comprehensive how-to-get-through-it guide that includes insight from dozens of medical professionals and 100 teens. - Staten Island Advance Every household with children should have access to this book. It answers more questions than I would have ever considered myself and it puts a perspective on the importance of how this disease changes everyone's life. ... It also reminds us that if we always consider each other and respect each other and work together, we can get through anything that life brings our way - including cancer. - Let Life Happen Chock-full of information and advice ... the many voices offer a variety of perspectives. - Kirkus Reviews