Keene Nancy - Childhood cancer survivors: a practical guide to your future

This book is a survivors dream! It draws heavily on survivor talk. My response was quick and extremely positive, as it made me feel this was our book, not something written for doctors or nurses, but for us. It talks our talk, deals with our issues, and faces reality head-on with the gutsy manner of survivors themselves. Theres plenty of accurate and understandable technical info, but theres plenty of heart as well, which is precisely what we havent had in resources for us to date. No sugar-coating here. For that, I take my hat off to the authors. Thank you for having the courage to call us by our names and call all our difficulties out by name. I really feel that after publication of this book, I will no longer struggle with what to give patients I work with regarding late effects, or what to give new-survivor friends who are interested and need to know this. The book addresses the issues in the gentle yet straightforward method that is needed. Thats what I call a success.

Kimbra Wilder Gish, Hodgkin lymphoma survivor Biomedical librarian

Navigating our current healthcare system in the hope of optimizing ones health requires an educated and empowered survivor. This book will fill a critical educational gap by providing childhood cancer survivors practical and up-to-date information regarding their cancer and treatment. Perhaps of equal value are the many poignant vignettes that describe the trials and victories of the cancer experience. I consider this book a must read for the survivors followed in our long-term follow-up program.

Kevin C. Oeffinger, M.D. Director, Living Beyond Cancer: A Program for Adult Survivors of Pediatric Cancer Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Childhood Cancer Survivors and its companion website are clearly an ongoing labor of love by three experts and advocates in the area of childhood cancer survivorship. These publications unmistakably communicate the expectation that childhood cancer survivors can and should take charge of their health to live long and well after they overcome their disease. This is a relatively new message; however, it is one that is becoming increasingly important to individuals and society as survival rates improve and the population of childhood cancer survivors expands. I highly recommend this book for childhood cancer survivors and their families, as well as for oncology, general pediatric, and adult practitioners who care for them.

Sheila Judge Santacroce, APRN, Ph.D. Associate Professor, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC

There is a paucity of guides for both health care providers and patients that address the special issues of childhood cancer survivors. This important book was written to fill this void and empower survivors. The topics in the beginning of the book range from relationships with families and friends to discrimination at jobs to health insurance issues. Subsequent sections deal with specific childhood cancers and long-term health effects from cancer treatments and recommended follow-up tests. Each organ system is addressed with a discussion of the possible late effects, their detection, and management. Throughout the book, stories of childhood cancer survivors personalize the text . Childhood Cancer Survivors contains a wealth of important information that will benefit survivors for years after their treatment of cancer. It also contains a listing of service organizations, books, and online resources. It is clearly a must have reference for both healthcare professionals and childhood cancer survivors. OncoLink gives this book its highest recommendation .

www.oncolink.com University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center

This is a wonderful resource for childhood cancer survivorsa complete, concise guide to potential health problems that can occur following treatment for cancer in childhood. With information comes power, and with the information in this book, childhood cancer survivors will be empowered to take an active role in their life-long medical follow-up. In some cases, this information could be life-saving!

Wendy Landier, PhD, RN Clinical Director, Center for Cancer Survivorship City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center

This is a vitally important book for anyone who has had cancer or been touched by cancer in a child, spouse, parent, sibling, loved one, or friend. Thats just about everyone. Many of these people may feel that, once treatment has ended, especially after the magic 5 years have passed without incident, it is nonproductive to think about the cancer anymore. Dwelling on ones past is, of course, going too far, especially if it prevents one from moving on to the many adventures awaiting him or her. And a parents efforts, however well intended, to keep a child forever cognizant of the past cancer can make that child unnecessarily fearful. But if knowledge is power, then ignorance is just plain dumb and can even be harmful. This book treads a fine middle ground by advocating education, providing information on all the potential late effects, some of which have a strong probability of appearing and many of which have very little probability of occurring, and, most important, encouraging those affected to advocate for themselves and to educate others, especially their doctors.

Kathryn, mother of Casey, 7-year survivor of osteogenic sarcoma

This book is an extraordinary resource for survivors of childhood cancer, as well as for their families, caregivers, and friends. It provides clear answers to the important medical, psychosocial, and financial questions that young survivors raise during and after cancer treatment.

Barbara Hoffman, J.D. Editor, A Cancer Survivors Almanac: Charting Your Journey

This book is a must for any parent or adult survivor of childhood cancer who is seeking to understand real and potential late effects of cancer therapyboth physical and psychosocial. It is also a valuable resource for healthcare professionals involved in pediatric oncology. The chapters about specific childhood cancers and body systems affected by therapy are comprehensive and detailed. The chapters dedicated to survivorship, relationships, and emotions capture the positives and negatives of the double-edged sword of survivorship. The many personal quotes interspersed throughout the book provide a personal link to which most, and possibly all, families affected by childhood cancer can relate. After reading this book, there can be no question about the necessity of specialized long-term follow-up for survivors. The practical chapters on insurance and follow-up describe how to best obtain this care.