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Male Partners:
- "A SIGNIFICANT JOURNEY: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS AND THE MEN WHO LOVE THEM" is a videotape that addresses breast cancer's effect on a couple's communication, intimacy and sexuality. Available from the American
Cancer Society, (800) 850-9445.
- WHEN THE WOMAN YOU LOVE HAS BREAST CANCER (1994). A Y-ME booklet that helps partners give emotional support to their loved ones. Single copies available free, bulk orders available on request. Call (800) 221-2141.
LESBIANS:
- MAUTNER PROJECT FOR LESBIANS WITH CANCER is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping lesbians with cancer, as well as their partners, and caregivers. The pamphlet Lesbians and Cancer provides early detection
information and addresses issues for lesbians. Available at no cost in English or Spanish from the Mautner Project, 1707 L Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 332-5536, www.mautnerproject.org.
CHILDREN:
- HANDBOOK FOR MOTHERS SUPPORTING DAUGHTERS WITH BREAST CANCER (1995) gives practical advice and sources of information to the mothers of women with breast cancer. 26 pages. Order from Mothers Supporting Daughters with Breast
Cancer, 21710 Bayshore Road, Chestertown, MD 21620-4401, (410) 778-1982,
- AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY offers two free pamphlets for families with a parent who has cancer. Helping Children Understand: A Guide for a Parent With Cancer and It Helps to Have Friends are available free of charge from the
ACS by calling (800) ACS-2345.
- HOW TO HELP CHILDREN THROUGH A PARENT'S SERIOUS ILLNESS by Kathleen McCue, MA, CCLS with Ron Bonn (St. Martin's Press, NY, 1994, $18.95). This practical guide explains children's special needs when a parent is seriously
ill. Provides guidelines, advice, and real-life examples to help parents and other caregivers help children during this stressful time. 221 pages. Bookstores.
- KEMOSHARK by H. Elizabeth King and illustrated by Diane Willford Steele (1995). A colorfully illustrated booklet to help children understand chemotherapy when their parents are undergoing treatment. 14 pages. Order from
KIDSCOPE, 3400 Peachtree Road, Suite 703, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404) 253-0001,
www.kidscope.org.
MIRA'S MONTH by Deborah Weinstein-Stern. When Stern's breast cancer recurred, she wrote this book for her four year old daughter, to help her cope while Mom was in the hospital for a month. It chronicles the events and
feelings that a child experiences from the day she learns of her mother's cancer, to the day her mother returns home from the hospital. 38 pages. Available for $5.00 from the Blood and Marrow Transplant Newsletter at (847)
831-1913 or fax (847) 831-1943.
MOMS DON'T GET SICK by Pat Brack with Ben Brack (Melius Publishing, Pierre, SD, 1990, $10.95). Told from a breast cancer patient's point of view and that of her 10 year-old son, this story covers more than a year in the
life of the Brack home and is "a story of anger, pain, hope and joy." 106 pages. (800) 882-5171.
"MY MOM HAS BREAST CANCER: A GUIDE FOR FAMILIES" (1996, 33 minutes). A KIDSCOPE, Inc., video for parents and children about coping with a mother's breast cancer diagnosis. Structured as interviews with six breast
cancer survivors and their young children. Order from KIDSCOPE, 3400 Peachtree Road, Suite 703, Atlanta, GA 30326, (404) 233-0001, www.kidscope.org.
THE PAPER CHAIN by Claire Blake, Eliza Blanchard, and Kathy Parkinson (Health Press, 1998). For children ages 3 to 8, this book relays the emotions of two young boys whose Mom has breast cancer. The story includes the
mother going to the hospital, having less energy for her sons, and their changed lifestyle. The book encourages hope and warm feelings. 32 pages. Bookstores or call (800) 643-BOOK.
OUR FAMILY HAS CANCER, TOO! by Christine Clifford (Pfeifer-Hamilton Publishers, Duluth, MN, 1997, $6.95 plus $2.45 shipping). For children ages 5-14, this book talks about one child's struggle to understand and cope with
his mother's cancer. Illustrated with cartoons. 64 pages. Available from The Cancer Club, 6533 Limerick Drive, Edina, MN 55439, (800) 586-9062, www.cancerclub.com or Bookstores.
SAMMY'S MOMMY HAS CANCER by Sherry Kohlenberg (Magination Press, NY, 1993, paperback/$8.95). The author, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 34 and her son was 18 months old, offers parents a thoughtful and
sensitive way to explain breast cancer to a child. Ms. Kohlenberg was a co-founder of the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation and died in 1993. 32 pages. Bookstores or (800) 825-3089. In Pennsylvania (215) 625-8900.
"TALKING ABOUT YOUR CANCER: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO HELPING CHILDREN COPE". A videotape from the Fox Chase Cancer Center that helps parents with cancer explain their diagnosis to their children, offering reassurance
to families struggling with a new diagnosis and information for those already coping with cancer. 18 minutes. $29.95 plus $5.00 shipping. Call (215) 728-2668.
WHEN A PARENT HAS CANCER: A GUIDE TO CARING FOR YOUR CHILDREN with BECKY AND THE WORRY CUP by Wendy S. Harpham, MD (HarperCollins Publishers, 1997, $24.00). The author, a lymphoma survivor, presents sensitive and practical
advice to help children understand and cope with a parent's diagnosis of cancer. 164 pages. An illustrated children's book is included that tells the poignant story of Becky, a seven-year-old girl and her experiences with
her mother's cancer. 46 pages. Bookstores.
WHEN SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY HAS CANCER (96-2685, 1995). A booklet written for the young person whose parent has cancer. It describes what cancer is, its treatment, and its emotional impact on family relationships. Includes
a glossary of cancer-related terms. 28 pages. NCI's CIS, (800) 4-CANCER.
Cancer Care, Inc. offers the Helping Children Cope Program of support groups and telephone counseling for children whose parent has cancer. For more information call (800) 813-HOPE, www.cancercare.org.
American Cancer Society runs a six session program, Kids Count Too, for children ages three through teens coping with a parent's cancer. Call (800) ACS-2345 to find the program nearest you, or visit www.cancer.org.
Susan G. Komen Foundation runs Kids Konnected, a support group for children whose mothers have breast cancer. To learn more call (800) 462-9273, www.kidskonnected.org.
CARINGKIDS is an Internet support group for children who know someone who is ill. It offers a monitored, open forum where kids may exchange information, share their feelings and make friends with other kids dealing with
similar issues. To subscribe, go to http://oncolink.upenn.edu/psychosocial/
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