Friday, July 1, 2011

What should my mom tell her students about her breast cancer and chemo

What should my mom tell her students about her breast cancer and chemo.?
My mom recently go diagnosed with breast cancer and she is a 5th grade teacher. She is going to start school soon but is concerned about what or how much to tell her students about this. She will be losing her hair in about 2 weeks. What should she do?
Cancer - 7 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
those kids are old enough to understand illness. she just needs to be honest with them.
2 :
Nothing!
3 :
I have a 5th grader. I think she should tell them that she has been diagnosed with cancer and she is taking medicine to get rid of it. One of the side effects of the medicine is that her hair will fall out. She might also tell them that she might miss some days at school because the medicine will make her feel bad. She should tell them enough facts that they know what's going on, but not so much detail that it's too scary for them. She might also consider having a parent meeting to let the parents know what's going on so they can help their kids deal with it at home.
4 :
What is wrong with the truth?
5 :
the truth, i also have breast cancer, having my 7th chemo next tuesday, i am very open about it, if i could help one girl or woman, to self examine,and catch the cancer early enough to save her life, then i would feel proud, i lost all my long hair within 16 days of my first chemo,and although i have wigs, and hats, i also go g.i. jane,the unknown makes us more scared, we need to fight and survive. good luck to your mom, tell her to hang in there,ther are unfortunately too many of us going through the same,and more of us surviving with support,and people can`t support you if they don`t know x
6 :
She needs to tell them the truth about her condition. As a teacher this is a perfect opportunity for her to teach her students about cancer. What she might consider doing is calling the local childrens or pediatric cancer clinic in her area and asking for a oncological social worker to come to her school and talk to the kids about cancer. The pediatric social workers do this all the time . . go into the schools when a child is diagnosed with cancer and explain to the students what is going on. This may all be a wonderful way for her students and the staff at school to show her the support she will need to go through her treatment. She can do it. Best wishes to your mom.
7 :
I totally agree that 5th graders are old enough to understand something is going on with their teacher and the more accurate information that your mom shares with her students the better the students will be prepared and understanding. I had breast cancer 4 years ago and come from a huge family (11 siblings and 40 niceces and nephews). I was very matter of fact about what was going on and let the kids see what a bald headed lady looks like. They thought it was pretty cool. Also because of my experience, several coworkers have come to me with questions about breast health and cancer in general.

Read more discussions :