Families with a Terminally ill Child

1. Description
a. These are families who have a child who has been diagnosed with
advanced cancer, heart diseases, lung diseases, muscular/motor
neurone diseases or many others.
2. Common Problems
a. Some common problems for these families include interruption of
normal life, increased time with the child to help them cope, feelings
of guilt, and financial costs.
3. Statistics
a. Employment change of parents with a terminally ill child. (out of 28
families)
4. Parents
a. When a child is diagnosed with an illness, one or both parents must
devote more time to that child to help them cope with their diagnosis,
talk about the process, and help them through it. This can cause the
family to take time away from their job, friends, hobbies, and other
children in the family. Even when the parents are not with the ill
child, it weighs on their mind and is a constant stain on their daily life.
While every parent wants their child to get better, many experience
feelings of guilt as if they had done something for their child to
deserve their illness. It is important to explain to not only the ill child
that it is not their fault, but to the parents as well.
5. Students
a. Children in the family who are not the ill child also face a set of
challenges. They may also feel feelings of guilt that it is somehow
their fault that their brother or sister is ill. While the parents need to
spend extra time caring for the ill child, the other children of the
family may feel that they are being “left out’ or “neglected.” It is
important to help these students through the illness of their family
member and make sure that their needs are being met as well.
6. For Teachers
 a. If we have students in our class that are terminally ill, and still able to
come to school, it is important that we make them feel welcome, and
like it is just a normal day in their lives. These children and their
families are looking for a shred of normalcy and we must be able to
provide that at school. Obviously, if the student has medical needs to
be met at school that is what is most important, but we must also
make school a happy place where they do not have to think about the
fact that they are sick and can just enjoy time spent with their friends
and teachers. For students who are sick and/or students have a family
member who is sick, we must remember to talk with them every day
and reinforce their beliefs that adults and medical professionals will
get them or their family member the help they need. We must also be
willing to listen to students about their thoughts and feelings to
prevent feelings of isolation. In short, as teachers we must be ready to
help in any way we can.
7. Sources
a. https://people.com/celebrity/parents-of-terminally-ill-5-year-old-girls-
anguished-by-backlash/
b. https://www.nationaljewish.org/conditions/pediatric-emotional-
health/impact-on-family
c. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528308/
d. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/end-of-life/in-
depth/grief/art-20047491
e. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-to-say-and-not-say-
t_1_b_8434142
f. https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/talking-with-
children-about-the-serious-illness-of-a-family-member