My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks booK reVieW FEA TUR

My Parent Has Cancer and It Really Sucks
Authors: May Silver and Marc Silver
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire, Naperville,
Illinois
Year: 2013
Reviewed by Janice Chobanuk
T
he book entitled My Parent Has
Cancer and It Really Sucks is an
excellent resource for teenagers who
are coping with a parent diagnosed with
cancer. The authors provide a plethora of
stories written by teenagers and strategies to assist them to cope with the realities of having a parent living with cancer.
The book provides an assortment of
emotionally charged quotes from teenagers grappling with the changes in
their life once a parent is diagnosed.
The book is composed of 14 chapters
and 261 pages (including appendices).
The major topics covered in this book
are cancer 101, communicating with the
family, how life changes during cancer,
parentification, dealing with stress, risking behaviours, benefits of friends and
other supports, dealing with school, facing a dire diagnosis, loss, and the new
normal life post cancer. The book provides suggested responses to awkward
situations that a teenager may encounter. For example, a 16-year-old talks
about kids asking her about her mom
being bald. Following the quote, there is
a suggestion on how to act and respond
to these types of questions and sensitive
situations.
The authors use clear language with
a variety of fonts to make the book fun
to read. Some of the short stories from
teenagers and their cancer experiences
are funny, and others are sad. For example, one adolescent talked about being
in the hospital with his father. When his
dad went to sit up, half his eyebrow flew
off. He talked about having to laugh at
these types of situations in order to prevent you from crying. In another section, a young girl talks about preparing
for a birthday party for her mother diagnosed eight months ago. She was with
her friends making red paper links for
the birthday guests to sign when her
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Janice Chobanuk, BScN, MN, CHPCN(C), CON(C)
Director Ambulatory Care and Systemic Therapy, Community Oncology
Alberta Health Services, CancerControl Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal • Volume 25, Issue 2, spring 2015
Revue canadienne de soins infirmiers en oncologie
mother went into multisystem failure.
The party was cancelled and Rachel was
asked to stand by her mother and talk to
her during her last moments. She talks
about how difficult it is to prepare for
the final words or conversation before a
parent dies.
Each chapter offers words of wisdom for teenagers, tips to keep in
mind, and survival strategies that align
with the array of funny, and oftensad quotes from adolescents dealing
with the numerous stresses associated
with the cancer journey. In the chapter
called Dealing with Stress, a teenager
talks about how hard he cried when he
heard the words come from his mother’s mouth that she had breast cancer.
He talked about feeling helpless and
wanting to quit college. Fortunately, he
found soccer to be his saving grace. He
felt he could leave the baggage outside
of the soccer field and enjoy the game.
Now, as a professional soccer player, he
helps other kids going through similar
cancer-related experiences.
The authors articulate how the cancer experience is different for each teenager, the added responsibilities, and
feelings of having the childhood experience taken away, numerous positive
coping strategies, inspiring pieces, and
tactics for dealing with life after cancer. I would recommend this book to
teenagers, parents, and staff working
in oncology centres. The book lacks a
clinical perspective; however, it truly
captures the experiences unique to a
teenager dealing with a parent diagnosed with cancer. In fact, a teenager
recommended this book to me as valuable resource for other teenagers.
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