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Talking cancer

When it comes to your child’s cancer, no topic is taboo

When a child has cancer, you are told things you wish you didn’t have to hear, but there are also many things left unsaid. Having real conversations is what we do best, and we invite you to join us.

This time is often filled with some of the hardest conversations of your life, a whirlwind of information, and new people.

We don’t know what causes childhood cancers. Nothing you or anyone else did caused your child’s cancer and nothing could have prevented it. It’s not fair, but it’s not your fault.  

Guilt is a really common feeling for parents. Telling someone to not feel guilty won’t make that feeling magically disappear, but talking about it can help. 

While it can feel isolating, you’re not alone with cancer. We will listen, respect and respond to you and your family, wherever you are.

You will meet many other families on the ward. Because the treatment for most childhood cancers is long and intense, many of these families get to know and support each other. Some form friendships that last long after their child’s treatment is over.

Know that there is nothing you did or didn’t do that caused it. You face a hard road but you don’t have to feel alone. There are wonderful groups of parents all over the country – like the ones Redkite runs that have parents that get it and that are there to hold you up. Be kind on yourself. If your house isn’t clean or your lawn isn’t mowed it’s okay. And never EVER measure your okay against someone worse than you. Your kid has cancer! If there is any time in your life to humbly accept the generous and gracious help others offer it is now. Not just for you, but it will ease your burden to allow you to support your kids. Swallow your pride, say yes ❤️
Tracy

Relationships
15th May

Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective

What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.

Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective

What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.

Hospital and Home: Tips for families this holiday season

Emotions
6th Dec

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Man looking at myRedkite on his mobile phone

Organising
28th Nov

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

women using her phone

Case Studies
29th Sep

How KiteCrew provides meaningful support

A case study about how effective KiteCrew is in providing meaningful support to families facing childhood cancer

How KiteCrew provides meaningful support

A case study about how effective KiteCrew is in providing meaningful support to families facing childhood cancer

women driving son to soccer practice

Organising
28th Jul

The best ways to support a family facing childhood cancer

Offering the right kind of help to a family whose child has cancer can be difficult. Parents have shared the best ways other have helped them, so you can feel confident in offering meaningful support.

The best ways to support a family facing childhood cancer

Offering the right kind of help to a family whose child has cancer can be difficult. Parents have shared the best ways other have helped them, so you can feel confident in offering meaningful support.

How to support the family of a child with cancer

Organising
4th Apr

How to support the family of a child with cancer

A guide for people who care about a family to help them provide the right support at the right time.

How to support the family of a child with cancer

A guide for people who care about a family to help them provide the right support at the right time.

There are no results to display. Please try a different keyword or reset the filters to see everything.

Every child’s treatment looks different. The most common treatments are chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Many children have a combination of all three, but others may only have one. There are other treatments as well like bone marrow transplants, stem cell therapy and immunotherapy. These aren’t as common and are often used for certain cancers.

There are different phases of treatment. Your child may stay in hospital for some weeks, and then you may be on maintenance treatment for several years. Both of these have their own challenges. The hospital where your child receives treatment might be hundreds of kilometres away from family and friends. At home, not only are you juggling having a child on treatment, doctors appointments and unexpected trips to the emergency department, but also everyday life; school, work, other children.

There’s lots of ups and downs, and it can be exhausting. It’s normal and okay to feel overwhelmed.

I wish I had known that the end of the intensive treatment phase (leukaemia) isn’t necessarily the end of the “hard part”, that the full treatment program (2 years) is a marathon and not a sprint and you need to conserve mental energy for after intensive is over. I’m sorry if I’m rambling but the point is that I was so looking forward to finishing intensive and ‘going home’ but that had its own challenges too.
Tanya

Despite the best efforts of any medical team, cancer cells sometimes survive treatment and reappear. This is called a relapse or recurrence. 
It’s what parents fear every time they take their child for a blood test or a scan. Hearing this news is devastating. Relapse doesn’t mean your child had the wrong treatment, that they did something wrong. It’s nobody’s fault.

Having gone through treatment before, you know what to expect. This can be both positive and negative. You know the language, the people, and what strategies work for you, but you also know what’s ahead of you. It might feel like you put everything into treatment the first time, and now you’re exhausted.

Organising
5th May

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Hospital and Home: Tips for families this holiday season

Emotions
6th Dec

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Man looking at myRedkite on his mobile phone

Organising
28th Nov

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

women using her phone

Case Studies
29th Sep

How KiteCrew provides meaningful support

A case study about how effective KiteCrew is in providing meaningful support to families facing childhood cancer

How KiteCrew provides meaningful support

A case study about how effective KiteCrew is in providing meaningful support to families facing childhood cancer

women driving son to soccer practice

Organising
28th Jul

The best ways to support a family facing childhood cancer

Offering the right kind of help to a family whose child has cancer can be difficult. Parents have shared the best ways other have helped them, so you can feel confident in offering meaningful support.

The best ways to support a family facing childhood cancer

Offering the right kind of help to a family whose child has cancer can be difficult. Parents have shared the best ways other have helped them, so you can feel confident in offering meaningful support.

How to support the family of a child with cancer

Organising
4th Apr

How to support the family of a child with cancer

A guide for people who care about a family to help them provide the right support at the right time.

How to support the family of a child with cancer

A guide for people who care about a family to help them provide the right support at the right time.

There are no results to display. Please try a different keyword or reset the filters to see everything.

The end of treatment is the milestone most families have been looking forward to since the diagnosis. Many families choose to celebrate this moment, but for many, there’s also lots of mixed feelings. Whatever you’re feeling: relief, guilt, anger, grief- these are normal.

Even after treatment ends, normal can still seem very far away. Wanting to have everything back the way it was before cancer is completely understandable. Everyone is changed by their experience. Many people also talk about struggling with the expectations of others who want them to be their old selves.

Treatment ending can bring a whole new range of worries and emotions. Instead of worrying about treatment, now people are worrying about the cancer returning. One day your child was taking chemo which kept them healthy and saved their life, the next they’re not.

It doesn’t mean going back to ‘normal’
Off treatment doesn’t mean it’s the end of tests, scans and check ups.
It means it’s the end of chemo/radiation/immunotherapy etc it doesn’t mean back to normal or healthy immune system, it means a new way of life and a few bumps along the way.

Relationships
15th May

Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective

What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.

Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective

What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.

Organising
5th May

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Case Studies
15th Dec

How children’s counselling provides a safe space for big feelings

A case study about how effective children’s counselling is in providing a safe place for children to express themselves

How children’s counselling provides a safe space for big feelings

A case study about how effective children’s counselling is in providing a safe place for children to express themselves

Hospital and Home: Tips for families this holiday season

Emotions
6th Dec

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Man looking at myRedkite on his mobile phone

Organising
28th Nov

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

Emotions
1st Sep

How does the Cascade program help?

A mother shares her thoughts on the Cascade program, and how it has helped her overcome the challenges that she faced when her child finished cancer treatment.

How does the Cascade program help?

A mother shares her thoughts on the Cascade program, and how it has helped her overcome the challenges that she faced when her child finished cancer treatment.

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Survivor means different things to different people.

At some point after treatment, people who have had cancer might start being called “survivors”. People use this word in different ways. The term “cancer survivor” is helpful for some people, and it can allow people to tap into support specifically related to “survivorship”. It can also give people who’ve faced cancer a strong sense of identity. For others, it doesn’t quite fit or do justice to how complex cancer is.

When someone might start describing themselves as a survivor also varies quite a lot. Some people may use the word from the time they’re diagnosed, when they finished treatment, or when they’re told they are cancer-free.

Many children who’ve had cancer have ‘late effects’ as a result of their treatment. Again, if your child has them and what they are depends on a lot of different facts. Late effects can range from cognitive changes or mental illness, to heart or kidney problems.

As a parent yourself, you might have ongoing impacts from treatment too, whether that’s financial, emotional, or social.

Relationships
15th May

Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective

What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.

Childhood cancer: A mother’s perspective

What happens to mothers when their child is diagnosed with cancer? While each story is different, below we’ve outlined some common experiences mothers can face throughout their child’s cancer experience.

Organising
5th May

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Hospital and Home: Tips for families this holiday season

Emotions
6th Dec

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Mother holding her baby at Christmas time

Emotions
2nd Dec

Support for the holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Support for the holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Organising
8th Oct

Other financial aid programs

A list of services providers offering financial aid in Australia

Other financial aid programs

A list of services providers offering financial aid in Australia

Family with a child who has cancer in the middle

Relationships
30th Jul

How can Redkite help you?

Men are encouraged to show strength and can’t say if you’re struggling, but how should a man behave when his child is diagnosed with cancer?

How can Redkite help you?

Men are encouraged to show strength and can’t say if you’re struggling, but how should a man behave when his child is diagnosed with cancer?

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Sometimes, cancer doesn’t respond to treatment. There’s no right or wrong way to feel or cope with this news. It can be hard to describe the waves of emotion involved. Some people who have been through this experience say it is possible to feel fear, devastation, anger and denial simultaneously. Others say they were completely numb.

There are many questions and also many decisions which are not easy to make. Telling your child, their siblings, and other people in your life is just the first of many incredibly hard conversations you will have to have.

You may feel alone in this. Your experience is your own, but there are people here to help and support you, including Redkite.

Organising
5th May

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Dare to Dream Scholarship: what other parents say

Financial tips from parents and families for getting through their child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Hospital and Home: Tips for families this holiday season

Emotions
6th Dec

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

In hospital and at home: Tips for families this holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Man looking at myRedkite on his mobile phone

Organising
28th Nov

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

Mother holding her baby at Christmas time

Emotions
2nd Dec

Support for the holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Support for the holiday season

No matter what the holiday season looks like for your family, here are some ideas that may help you through this time of year.

Organising
8th Oct

Other financial aid programs

A list of services providers offering financial aid in Australia

Other financial aid programs

A list of services providers offering financial aid in Australia

Family with a child who has cancer in the middle

Relationships
30th Jul

How can Redkite help you?

Men are encouraged to show strength and can’t say if you’re struggling, but how should a man behave when his child is diagnosed with cancer?

How can Redkite help you?

Men are encouraged to show strength and can’t say if you’re struggling, but how should a man behave when his child is diagnosed with cancer?

There are no results to display. Please try a different keyword or reset the filters to see everything.

Grief doesn’t have a formula or timeline. There’s no stages to go through. Grief comes and goes, rising and falling, and is never easy to predict.

Even though they are gone, they are still with you and you can still think about them, and you don’t have to be sad. You can be happy and think about them at the same time
Bereaved sibling


Other people in your life can have expectations of how you’re supposed to behave or how long you should grieve for. But there isn’t a right or wrong way to act when your child has died. Time between moments of overwhelming grief grows further apart over time, but that doesn’t mean grief goes away. The fact is your child will always be part of you, and you’ll always have a relationship with them.

We provide bereavement counselling, and have articles and resources you can read. One of these resources is By My Side, a video and book of a collection of quotes from parents whose child has died because of cancer. You can ask our team for a copy of By My Side and we’ll post it out to you.


Man looking at myRedkite on his mobile phone

Organising
28th Nov

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

myRedkite User Guide for families

Resources myRedkite User Guide for families The myRedkite portal allows families to access the services they need, whenever they need…

Organising
8th Oct

Other financial aid programs

A list of services providers offering financial aid in Australia

Other financial aid programs

A list of services providers offering financial aid in Australia

Family with a child who has cancer in the middle

Relationships
30th Jul

How can Redkite help you?

Men are encouraged to show strength and can’t say if you’re struggling, but how should a man behave when his child is diagnosed with cancer?

How can Redkite help you?

Men are encouraged to show strength and can’t say if you’re struggling, but how should a man behave when his child is diagnosed with cancer?

Emotions
19th Oct

Grief, Loss and Bereavement

During this pandemic, the devastation, sadness and isolation is shared globally, and we all ‘get it’ and can understand the impact. But when it comes to bereavement, sadly many people and communities don’t understand.

Grief, Loss and Bereavement

During this pandemic, the devastation, sadness and isolation is shared globally, and we all ‘get it’ and can understand the impact. But when it comes to bereavement, sadly many people and communities don’t understand.

rk-man-pyjamas-stressed-phone

Relationships
5th Oct

When your child dies

When your child dies is a nine-page booklet written using the real experiences of bereaved parents about life after your child dies.

When your child dies

When your child dies is a nine-page booklet written using the real experiences of bereaved parents about life after your child dies.

Relationships
5th Oct

By My Side: Stories from parents whose child has died from cancer

People learn to walk with their pain because if they talk about it, or if they try to be part…

By My Side: Stories from parents whose child has died from cancer

People learn to walk with their pain because if they talk about it, or if they try to be part…

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How we can help?

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