A diagnosis of Neuroblastoma affects the entire family. As devastating as it is for you and your child, it can be just as overwhelming for your other children. Children thrive in the security of a predictable routine. The intrusion of a cancer diagnosis into this web of security literally can turn a child’s world upside down.

Parents and siblings are at the core of a child’s world. Teary parents whispering secrets to each other; the realization that a sibling is sick; the sudden shift of focus away from them to another sibling; the inability to get a parent’s attention; breaks in their normally secure routine, including the absence of parents and a sibling for prolonged periods of treatment or hospitalization; these are a few of the things that can impact the security and happiness of young children and result in behavioral abnormalities as a reaction to the situation.

It is important to understand that these behaviors are symptomatic and normal. The links below will help you to gain an understanding of what’s going on in their world, and perhaps help you to develop a strategy to deal with the stresses involved in adapting to the new reality of a cancer diagnosis.