A Community of Care
Childhood cancer patients and their families face a difficult journey, but they don’t have to face it alone. Patients and families are part of a community that offers support to those who need it – from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
At Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s, we recognize that support is a key part of patient care. Because of this, we are committed to caring for children and their entire families, connecting them to other patients and families and offering support services including child life specialists, music therapy, back-to-school programs, and special events.
In these videos, patients, families, and friends describe their own communities of care and offer advice on how you can support childhood cancer patients.
Best Buddies: Shravan and Casey
Team Wilms Bros: Cara and Corinne
Team Lia: Lia and Tara
How can you support childhood cancer patients and their families?
Do you have other ideas? Share them with us on social media by tagging @DFBC_PedCare and using the hashtag, #CCAM
- Offer your help, whether it’s by delivering a meal to a family or babysitting
- Give a gift card for household expenses
- Support the patient’s siblings, too
- Send a card or email and let a family know you’re thinking of them
- Donate toys and games to patients in the hospital
- Volunteer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute or Boston Children’s Hospital
- Donate blood or platelets
- Join the bone marrow registry
- Donate your hair to support children with cancer who have lost theirs
- Offer help later, too; while it’s natural to want to offer assistance right away, cancer can be a long haul