Concrete Ways to Survive the Shock of Diagnosis
From the moment of diagnosis, families are welcomed and met by a Family Agent from Leucan at the hospital. For families, this initial contact is crucial. They receive a kit, which will become essential over the course of their child’s illness and treatments. Among other things, the kit includes Leucan’s famous red comfort blanket—the faithful companion of children during treatments, representing the hope for recovery—and chemotherapy patient shirts. Those unique and exclusive shirts enable medical personnel to administer treatments more effectively to children with cancer – they appreciate not having to wear a medical gown and interrupting their routine further. Thus, you have the power to give children a sense of normalcy while they’re coping with their illness, and children appreciate the fact that they can forego the hospital gown and stick to a more regular routine. The kit also contains medical supplies to help families plan for public outings. Families are taken under our team’s wing from the moment of this overwhelming diagnosis, thanks to people like you who choose to support Leucan and are moved by the tremendous ordeal those families have to face.
Educate Families to Help them Find their Bearings
Thanks to you, families also have access to the Leucan Information Centre, the largest French library on pediatric cancer available in the world, to find answers to all their questions. A cancer diagnosis is scary and turns one’s life upside down. As allies to the cause, you soothe parents and help them to find their bearings via access to detailed information on all aspects of their child’s ailment, whether it be about diagnosis-specific treatments; side effects; ramifications on families and couples; ways to discuss the diagnosis with the child’s siblings; or stories from families who have been through this ordeal and came out on the other side.
Sustained Efforts, Even After Families Return Home
Also thanks to you, Leucan continues to be there once families return home to comfort and listen to them. Recognizing the benefits and importance of active listening, you ensure that families know that they can count on Leucan through every stage of cancer and its effects, when they need it the most.
This personalized support helps families to adapt to their new reality. Advisers also lend an attentive ear when parents need to talk and feel comforted about the stress, the unknown, and the unexpected that go hand in hand with a cancer diagnosis.
Myriam, mom of Charlotte, 4 years old.
Diagonosed with medulloblastoma,29 month treatment