Prepare
Only those who have gone through the harrowing experience of having a child diagnosed with cancer can appreciate the barrage of emotions that are part of this experience. Frustration, anger, fear, confusion, and sorrow come in relentless waves during the time of diagnosis and planning for treatment. Information comes in inconsistent patterns and wait times become sources of escalating tension. It is in the midst of this upheaval that you are asked to consider the future fertility of the child you are so anxious to save in the here and now.
Difficult as it is, parents can take hope in the reality that most children do survive cancer and live normal, fulfilled, productive lives after their cure.
Difficult as it is, parents can give a gift of hope to their child – the gift of future fertility.
If parents can marshal the strength to have conversations about the future after cancer, their child will be the beneficiary.
What to Ask?
For these reasons, PORF presents a list of questions for parents to ask each other and others in advance of cancer treatment. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of questions, or even a comprehensive overview of what should be discussed. Rather, it is intended as a way to begin a conversation that will be rich and hopeful for parents and medical providers alike.